The New Seasons Issue

“Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of one’s values.” Ayn Ran

Spring 2009 represents possibility and opportunity like no year we’ve seen in a very long time. The past year has been dominated by the enduring economic turndown being experienced in every corner of the world; and so much doom and gloom can really cloud a person’s perspective. It’s in times like these that many people turn inward. It’s more difficult to ignore the glorious collective f**k up we’ve become when not distracted by insatiable consumption that caused the mess to begin with…

BUT this is not an accusation, a guilt trip or a sentence; rather, it is an homage to YOU. A celebration of the YOU that you have always meant to become; the YOU that is in no way contingent upon what phone you use, what boots you wear, or what music you listen to. Who YOU are is shaped by all the decisions you make that add up to a path which leads to an outcome that you have actively (if not consciously) pursued. Let me put it another way: First, we determine What we want to do; second, we figure out How to do it. And it’s the How that defines us. Think about it: Is losing 15 pounds as important as the way in which they’re lost? You could get an elastic band implanted in your gut and risk infertility; you could start/continue smoking and leave a young, skinny corpse or you could go all Participaction on that ass and get healthy. Which of those reflects the person you want to be? You must craft yourself as you would any other meaningful project. You don’t leave raising your kids, designing your loft or writing an opening argument to the capricious moods of others, so allow your reputation and influence the same respect. We are living through the benefit of a great lesson. We have been given the gift of hindsight and the knowledge that we are not too far down the path to turn it around. We see the forest and the trees; the sum and the parts.

As I study this issue’s contributors I see a thread of self-assurance and a celebration of those who value action as a reflection of who they are and what they stand for. Michael King–successful, rebellious, an entrepreneur—turned a faded and peeling social tradition into a sparkling success. Increasingly, young artists, like Scarlett Johansson and Melissa McClelland eschew the standard starlet bulls**t, promoting themselves along with the causes, people and places that matter to them. That is what defines us all: the way we choose to spend our time and the people with whom we spend it; our actions; our words; our hobbies, our mistakes and our passions. We’ve all met someone who collects buttons or tiny spoons or one of the other billion random things that pile up around us, and thought how cool it was to get such an honest glimpse of another person’s character. That is the good stuff! That is the stuff that makes you unique, freaky and spectacular!