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The Power of One

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By Avi Frier - FJN Publisher

This past Sunday, I spent the afternoon watching the Miami Dolphins trounce the Minnesota Vikings for the Phins’ third consecutive win (thanks, Eric!).


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Besides the immense enjoyment that comes with the territory of watching the home team chalk up a victory, I witnessed something at that game that gave me a thrill far beyond anything I had expected.

What did I see that was so inspiring?

The Wave.

You know The Wave. It’s that thing drunk people do at sporting events to make sure the guys on the field aren’t the only ones getting exercise that day. People in one section stand up and quickly sit down, then the next section follows suit, then the next section, then the next, and so on, until the entire stadium seems to have waves flowing around the stands.

I was sitting upstairs in the corner section, where most of the fans around me were season ticket holders. This kid who looked to be about 15 years old (I didn’t get his name, so we’ll call him Joe) decided he wanted us to do The Wave.

He jumps up out of his seat and shouts, "Come on! Let’s start The Wave!"

A few of the seasoned fans rolled their eyes as if to say, "Who does this rookie think he is, telling me I have to get up out of my seat?!?!"

But Joe wouldn’t take no for an answer. "Come on!" he shouted. "One, two, three!"

A few people half-heartedly stood up and sat down, but it didn’t even make it to the next section.

Joe tried two or three more times, with little more success. Then he ran away.

We thought he left because he was insulted or embarrassed by his failure, until a few seconds later, when he popped up in the next aisle, a better position to reach more people.

Again, he shouted, "Come on! Let’s start The Wave! One, two three!"

This time, it traveled midway to the next section.

"Again!" shouted Joe. "One, two, three!"

This time it made it to the third section over.

"Again! One, two, three!"

Now Joe’s Wave traveled all the way to the next corner of the stadium. And now, even the eye-rollers were starting to get a kick out of the idea that this had all started in their little section.

"Again! One, two, three!"

And that was the last time Joe needed to count. The Wave went all the way around the stadium, and came right back to us. We kept it going two, three, four times.

By the second or third time around, the people in the lower sections were doing it too.

78,000 sports fans, some praying for a Dolphins victory, others hoping the Vikings would rally, were temporarily united.

United in The Wave.

And it was all because of a squeaky-voiced 15-year-old kid, whose name probably wasn’t really Joe.

Once upon a time, the only lesson I ever took with me from seeing a stadium full of people doing The Wave was that you should never underestimate the power of mass intoxication.

But Joe taught me a new lesson. Never underestimate the Power of One.

On Tuesday, I went to Shacharit at Weinbaum Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton.

At the end of davening, 12th grader Chaim Seligman stood up and reported to the student body on the latest news from Israel. At the end of his talk, he passed around cards for everyone to sign, asking President Bush and Kofi Annan to demand the return of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists this past summer. Chaim collected around 200 signatures that day.

That was the beginning of Chaim’s Wave. And unlike Joe, Chaim only had to ask once.

We can all learn something very important from Chaim and Joe. We each have the potential to make huge waves.

Just count to three and get it started.

If you have to count again, don’t be embarrassed or afraid. If you have to count three, seven, or fifty times, that’s okay. Keep on counting.

If your Wave is worthwhile, it will catch on. Others will jump from their seats in support of your Wave and influence their friends to do the same.

And it all starts with the Power of One.

You.



Posted by Avi Frier - FJN Publisher on 11/24 at 01:23 PM • Hits: 461



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