Our friend Rasul Sha’ir of Cnvrgnc.com sent us a story about John Hantz, a wealthy money manager who wants to build a large farm inside the city limits of Detroit:
The theme of Farming is a strong one, especially in the context of a post-industrial city like Detroit. It’s interesting that urban gardeners who farm quarter-acre plots of land in Detroit have come out against Hantz’s plan. The anti-Hantzers are, according to the article, seizing on their own themes: Racial Bias (Hantz and most of his team are white; Detroit’s population is 92% black) and Big Business vs. the Little Guy.
Comment: We don’t have time or energy to spend on being racially or economically divided, it doesn’t matter what color the finger being pointed is or the size of the rock on the ring it’s wearing. Themes can help us find the agreement that transcends race, religion, income level and personal history–all those things that divide us–thereby liberating new avenues for communication, learning and growth. John Hantz and the urban gardeners of Detroit can unite around the theme of Farming to be productive and move the ‘Saving Detroit’ scene forward.
John Wooden, who at age 97 (pictured above) is still as sharp as a backdoor bounce pass, is possibly the best basketball coach who ever lived. He’s also a GameChanger of the highest order. Wooden’s teams changed the very concept of the sport of basketball, from a polite Hoosiers-style half-court square dance, to a baseline-to-baseline rampage of disruptive defenses and extreme athleticism. And they have the championships to show for it.