Won Kim

How I Breathed Past the Lie of Disease

Won Kim — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:11:24 -0700

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from a dear friend of mine, William Melendez. He is like no other person I have ever met, his battles unique and his writing, hauntingly good. This is an honest account of his literal fight with death. Being that he wrote this article, we can assume he won that fight, but not without walking through the valley of the shadow of death.

Being a person who suffers from mental illness I have dealt with the vicissitudes of aberrant mental and physical states. Nevertheless, after enduring years of mental illness and several gastric diseases, dear reader, I began to succumb to the lie of a sick man’s philosophy: life, with its ups and downs, was always something that happened to me, and of which, I had no control over. I was clinging to a deflated lifeboat, buffeted in the winds of an unruly sea. Two things controlled the course of my raft, sink or swim: the happenstance of life and the constant intervention of God on my behalf. Mostly, I spent my time praying to God that He would get me through whatever was happening to me. My only contribution to my circumstances seemingly consisted of begging.

At the end of a decade of gastric diseases, I found myself once again in the hospital, having gone through two surgeries, several procedures and about to go through another one. I had been taken from ICU to Interventional Radiology for a procedure. The resident began to work on my arm for the third or fourth time. But I could no longer stand the pain that he was inflicting. My veins were burning. I begged for him to stop.

The pain had been building up to a roiling boil while in the ICU; even the enormous amounts of opiates the doctors gave me were of no help. I had given up on pressing the button to my morphine pump: it was useless. Not to be dissuaded, the doctors persisted on maintaining an intravenous morphine drip and plied me with larger doses of methadone in order to continue working on me.

The resident paused and an argument between him and another doctor began over what to do with me. They left the cold room. It was then that the arm he had been working on began to go numb. Within seconds I could no longer feel my fingers or the water pick in my arm. Through the pain I tried to stay calm but to be honest, dear reader, I was so scared. I thought that there was no one to cry to for help.

The room was frigid and quiet. I heard a nurse somewhere. Out of my confusion, in a broken and anguished voice, I begged her not to let the doctors kill me. She swallowed back a laugh. The room went quiet again, except for the sound of my breathing.

The numbness in my arm began to spread to my other extremities. I could no longer sense my legs or my other arm that had been on fire only moments ago. At last I felt only the burning of my chest. Knowing that Jesus was right there with me I started babbling to Him about what was happening to my body and my rising fear and panic. My mind screamed for mercy as the absence of feeling raced up my chest. I could no longer perceive any part of my body. The brush of air through my nostrils as I tried to keep breathing was all that I could feel. The room was no longer cold and I was no longer on fire. I was nothing.

However, dear reader, as you well know, the Holy Spirit was there. He’s uncanny like that—no matter where or when He is there. He moved over my lack of me and quieted my mind with a warm comfort. He became my something.

God spoke into my consciousness. Now, you may be piqued with curiosity or, alternatively, you may be feeling wary by the preceding sentence. God spoke to him? Dear gentle reader, let me dispel any demons that may be tickling your ear and appeal to your better angels. He brought thoughts to my consciousness. The thoughts He brought to my mind were distinct, decisive and powerful. In contradistinction to how I was starting to devolve into a confusion borne from panic, His thoughts resounded with clarity. No diamond could be as pure, hard and perfect as those thoughts. I understood Him.

He wanted to give me a choice. I could die in that hospital, the pain would end, and I would finally be free with Him. Or, I could live. Nothing else, just live. No promises of a better or carefree new life, just life itself. However, He let me know, regardless of what I chose, neither one good or bad, He wanted me to make the decision. He would honor me either way, but He would not make the decision for me. I had to choose.

Now, dear reader, it is important for you to know something about my history of mental illness in order for one to fully appreciate the enormity of what God had done for me. For years I had struggled with protracted periods of suicidal ideation. I had been in and out of the psych ward again and again from repeated attempts I made on my life. Even when not suicidal I felt that death would be a release from all the pain: I could go home to Jesus, see Him face to face, and the pain would be gone. And yet, I have to admit to you, my dear reader, I was very unsuccessful at suicide. It was not due to lack of sincerity or effort on my part; the truth is that it was others who persisted in thwarting my ambition. I was even powerless to take my own life. To remind you, dear reader, it seemed to my mind that the lack of influence or say I had on my own life had left me with the sole option of groveling like a wretch so that God would pity me and make the painful situation I was experiencing end.

But now, my body lost to me as it lay on a cold, hard hospital slab, free from all sensation, God had given me a choice that would occur. No one would be able to interfere with the outcome, my decision. It was going to happen. Most importantly, God, himself, had ordained that I must make the decision as to how my life was to proceed. Now you can understand the relevance of my earlier digression, I had never in my entire life felt like I had the power to choose what would or would not happen with my life. What responsibility. What empowerment! I could decide the outcome of my life. What a gift He had given me! No begging for cessation. I was restored even before I made a decision because God had made it my decision. My body was not lost to me, but rather, for the first time God had given it to me.

Why did I choose to live? There were no promises attached to that choice. No promises of riches or fame or anything else to follow. No promises of a disease and pain free life, a life bereft of hardships with no worries or cares. Just life, unadorned and simple. Just a life, and because it was to be a life it suddenly seemed worth living. That was enough for me, for some reason. I had made my decision and He honored it. Not just for my life on that occasion during that hospital stay, but ever since, for as you read this right now, dear reader, the spectre of suicidal ideation has not visited me from that point onward and, what is more, I believe it never will. When God honors a decision, He makes it final; it truly is the end because He always has the last say.

He ended our conversation with one last piercing thought. He told me to breathe, just breathe. Never forget, breathe. So I did. I knew that as long as I could feel the air in my nose I would be all right. I breathed with all the strength of my mind. Since I could no longer feel the rest of my body, all that was left was a breathing tube. I was a breathing tube. I breathed. Always feeling the air coming in to reassure me of God's honoring my decision. I breathed with my lost body that had been found.

Later, after I went through my third surgery, the surgeons had punctured my lung and it filled up with blood. Nurses would get off their shift and gather around Caroline, my wife, comforting her for the inevitable that was coming for me. Sorrow hung over my ICU room like a shroud. But, dear reader, I laughed in my spirit. I knew that no matter what these people thought I was going to live! What irony. If you had asked any one there, they would have told you that I had no control over what was happening to me, what was going to happen to me. How wrong they were! I had made the decision that God had given me. When all around me thought me dying I was busy living!

If you will forgive a little poetic dalliance, dear reader, I saw Death as she passed by the door of my room. She never even looked inside. She kept walking down the hall. She wasn't there for me, nor would she be.

William Melendez lives in NYC with his wife. He is currently learning how to love the Christians in his local community in more devious and irritating ways. He is also very, very hard to kill.

So what's the scenaRIO ...

Won Kim — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:28:38 -0700

Today's my first day back. For the past week, I was in Rio de Janeiro working with two organizations -- one focused on church planting and the other on social justice. In a profound way, both are working for the Kingdom of God.

Restore Brazil is an organization run by Jay Bauman, who is both a prolific leader as he is a social media nut. You can find him on Twitter at @baumanjay and on his blog. Please check out his organization, Restore Brazil.

Rio de Paz is an unabashed human rights organization run by Antonio Carlos Costa. They work for human rights for prisoners and social justice for the poor living in the favela. They're organization focuses on three main plagues of Rio: violence, poverty, corruption. Antonio is also has a strong social media presence, albeit, in Portugese.

The brave people doing work in Rio, literally risk their lives for the people. It is beyond amazing what they do. They are always open for more help, more insight, more partnerships.

The team I went with will continue to update our learnings and conviction on our Tumblr page at www.TGCinRio.tumblr.com.

More than anything, this is just a reminder that our God has a huge heart. From New York City to Nashville to Portland to Rio ... our God is moving. May we join God in the renewal of all things.

Surrounded by Smoke – Avoid Secondhand Hyperbole

Won Kim — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 07:49:32 -0700

Sometimes I have the great fortune of working from a café. It’s “great” because I get to drink coffee, utilize free wi-fi and, with subtlety, act like I’m working on something life-altering on my laptop. The only downside to working at a café is that there are a lot of people. I don’t mind people overall, but it’s a specific type of people—the ones that talk a huge game.

Whether they’re talking about the last stock they bought that just returned a hundredfold profit or how their recent house they flipped was a steal or how they saw such-and-such at this place-and-place, it gets rather deafening. Think Ron Burgundy sans ridiculous clothing.

This kind of chatter is difficult to escape from. It lives on Twitter, Facebook posts, blogs, glossy magazines, etc. But nothing compares to seeing it in person. Even if you’re not contributing to this conversation, hearing it can sometimes lead to secondhand exhaustion. So, for your personal enjoyment and sanity, here are 5 tips to know when you are about to walk into secondhand hyperbole and embellishment:

1. Avoid people carrying 3 or more phones. No one needs that many phones, but even if you did (because you’re a global icon or something), no one needs to actually carry 3 or more phones visible to everyone. That’s why we have pockets.

2. Steer away from people who are simultaneously holding a coffee cup, smoking a cigar and making business deals on their 10-year-old phone. Trust me, they’re talking to their mother.

3. Flee from guys who just give you a visceral attack of slick. Your gut knows what over-the-top feels like, and your trained eyes knows the difference between an honest guy and “that” guy.

4. Keep clear from guys wearing Yankees caps. They’re probably awesome people, but it’s just my rule of thumb.

5. Take cover when a group of people gather and start talking in ridiculous decibels. No one should talk that loud unless you’re in the middle of a rock concert or you’re taking gunfire in a bunker.

Lastly, your main reason for dodging secondhand hyperbole is simple: endlessly talking a big game actually stops you from living one.

Kurt Warner: Dancing for the Gospel

Won Kim — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 07:27:08 -0700

If you’re a football fan you have heard of Kurt Warner. If you’re an evangelical Christian, there’s a good chance you have heard of Kurt Warner … if you don’t fall in any of those categories, but you are a pop culture fan, there’s still a good chance you have heard of Kurt Warner as “that big football player now on Dancing with the Stars.”

If you fall in that last category, than Kurt Warner’s main reason for joining Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) is succeeding. He wants to share a message with those who may yet not know about his faith. He has even received a lot of letters from Christians disappointed in his decision to join DWTS. Well, he has a response and it is not only honest, but illustrates his strong conviction on pushing the Gospel message to a mainstream audience. Is he a great football player? Yes. Is he a prolific writer? Not really. Is he a top-level dancer? Nope. Is he following on his personal conviction? Definitely sounds like it. It is worth a read. You can click on the link below to download his letter or simply read below as I’ve copied and pasted the letter in full:

http://filesocial.com/exopq9o

“Hey y’all, hope this letter finds you well. Life has me crazy busy and I miss having the opportunity to connect with all of you. But, I find myself with a little extra time on a flight to STL for a couple events & wanted to use a little of it to share with you something that God has placed on my heart recently.

As most of you know, I am currently taking part in the hit reality show Dancing With the Stars. Since the announcement has been made I have received numerous concerns relating to why, as a Christian, I would choose to take part in this particular show.

I can promise you that it wasn’t because I felt I was a superior dancer and just wanted to show off to the world. It wasn’t because I had nothing else to do and wanted to spend more time away from my wife and children. It surely wasn’t for the money or fame or attention that it would bring. Nope, not so I could take the opportunity to embarrass myself in front of 20 million people each week or because I had an open shelf in the trophy case where I thought the ‘Mirrorball’ would fit perfectly!

So why? Why choose to do a show that many deem ‘provocative’? Why participate in a show that places you next to a beautiful woman, who is not your wife, for up to 6 hours a day in close proximity? Why associate yourself with a show where many of the contestants wear little clothing and move around in a sexual way? Why do a show that may affect the credibility you earned while playing in the NFL? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

I have received letters from friends asking these very questions! I have received letters from those in the ministry criticizing me for making this choice! And I have received numerous facebook and twitter messages referencing how big a mistake this whole thing is!

So amidst all of these questions I wanted to take a little time to share with all of you why I have made this choice.

In the early stages of receiving the offer to be on the show, I almost immediately said NO! I couldn’t see how something like this could be a benefit to my marriage. I didn’t need the notoriety I would receive because God had already taken care of that throughout my football career. I didn’t see any positive side to making a fool of myself in front of all those people. And my perception, like I believe many of you, is that it doesn’t appear to line up with the idea of Christianity at all. So with so many strikes against it, I was ready to simply go my first response.

But, before doing that, I thought I would take a little time and pray about the whole situation. I realized that God had taken me this far and done some amazing things in my life, even though the initial signs appeared bleak, and I owed it to Him to at least ask Him what He thought!

Fully expecting my initial answer of ‘NO’ to be confirmed in prayer, I spent some free time hanging with Jesus. And it didn’t take long before He directed me to a couple passages of scripture that would ultimately help me to make my final decision.

The first scripture was Matthew 9:9-12 and it says this:

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your master eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’? On hearing this Jesus said, “IT IS NOT THE HEALTHY WHO NEED A DOCTOR, BUT THE SICK. BUT GO AND LEARN WHAT THIS MEANS: ‘I DESIRE MERCY, NOT SACRIFICE.’ FOR I HAVE NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS BUT THE SINNERS.”

Hmm, does the question asked by the Pharisees sound familiar?

The second comes from the book of Mark 16:14-15: “Later (after being risen from the dead) Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel”

After reading this two scriptures for the thousandth time, I was struck by exactly what God was trying to tell me. He was letting me know that He didn’t place me in the position I am in to hide out in the church and preach only to those who enter those buildings (although I know this is important and part of my calling). He had called me to the WORLD, to those people who may never set foot in a church and may never (in their circles) have Jesus shared with them.

In taking me to these scriptures He enlightened me on the fact that His placing of me in the NFL was no different then the idea of Dancing with the Stars! He showed me that there is little in a locker room that appears Christian either. There is vulgar music, violence, language, sexual innuendos, hate, selfishness, pride, prejudice, judgment, etc… So why did I never get these same questions in regards to my football career?

My point is simply that God has called me to reach the world, by going into places where all Christians may not choose to go. He has equipped me to be a light in the darkness and my responsibility is to embrace it, step into, and allow him to use me as he sees fit.

I look back at my 12 year NFL career and reflect on what God did during that time. He allowed me to lift up his name on the podium at the Super Bowl. He gave me numerous opportunities to have conversations with people that had no direction and were spiraling out of control. He allowed a uneducated young Christian the opportunity to speak to hundreds of thousands of people about Jesus. He blessed me with the unique gift of showing people what it looks like to love Jesus when you are on top and when you are in the valley. He allowed me to hear a comedian reference me as ‘David’ going into the Lions den on Monday Night Football. And he has allowed me the opportunity to represent Him daily in the public eye.

Wow, not bad considering that it all took place in a very secular, sinner dominated environment! Hmm, sounds very similar to what many think of when they hear ‘Dancing with the Stars’!

I also find it ironic that it seems to be so closely related to the portion of scripture that I referenced above in relation to the situations that God called Jesus too.

What is my point?

My point is simply that I believe God has called me be ‘in the world, but not of it’! He has called me to embrace the ungodly things, in hopes of sharing the Godly in them. I am not sure if He is calling all of you to the same things, but I know He has me, and He is equipping me for them by giving me perspective.

Where many say, how can you possibly work so closely with a beautiful woman wearing such little clothing? My response is, watch me show you how you can do such a thing and still honor your marriage and love your wife. And already in my first dance (which I know wasn’t the greatest! LOL) I was able to make that statement by going over and kissing my wife in front of 20 mil people after just dancing with that other beautiful woman!

Where many say, how can you take the reputation you built during your football career and destroy it by doing something like Dancing with the Stars? My response is twofold, first I don’t really care about my reputation, I care about reaching people and this platform allows me to do just that. Second, I say that what I have come to find as the most attractive characteristic of any Christian, to a non-Christian, is a realness that comes from sharing your shortcomings as well as your strengths. This show allows me to show that I can laugh, make fun of myself, and engage in relationships with people of all kinds, and still in the midst of it all, Love Jesus!

Where some say, you must not get along with any of the cast members, because they appear so worldy and sinful? My response is that I love the other cast members on the show. Yeah, they are flawed, just like I am, but they also are real and need a relationship with Jesus as much as I do, and they need someone to show Him to them!

I could go on and on, with other questions and answers as to why I am doing this show, but I think you all get the point.

I have not been placed on this earth to judge or criticize or determine the fate and sin of others. I have been placed here to direct the ‘sick’ to where they can be healed and to go into all the world and preach the gospel.

Right now, that world is found and the sick are tuned in on Monday and Tuesday nights on ABC!

I know all of you may not agree with me and would not choose to do the same thing, but I would ask that you not judge me, but that you pray for me. Pray that I can represent Jesus the way He deserves to be represented, because I believe if I do, you will all see exactly why God chose to put a Christian on DWTS!

Thanks for listening and supporting… Love you all. KW”

Umpire Jim Joyce Is Human

Won Kim — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 13:24:24 -0700

The Twitterverse exploded Wednesday night when what should have been a perfect game thrown by the virtually unknown pitcher, Armando Galarraga, was inexplicably denied by a blown call from umpire Jim Joyce.

With only one out to go in his quest for a perfect game (that’s when you retire all 27 batters you face in a row), Galarraga induced a difficult grounder to his first baseman, Miguel Cabrera, who played the groundball nicely and threw it to Galarraga who was scrambling to cover first base. Although the play appeared to be close, it was obvious (even to the naked eye), that the throw had beaten the runner to the bag and Galarraga got his foot on the bag before the runner. However, umpire Joyce called the baserunner safe, taking away the perfect game, the no-hitter, and quickly stamping his identity as the umpire who stole a historic night from Galarraga, the Detroit Tigers and Major League Baseball.

As the fans lustily booed the umpire, one thing was clear: this was not going to be forgotten soon.

Soon after the game ended, Joyce ran back to the clubhouse to see the instant replay of what should have been the last out. Joyce quickly realized he blew the call, and immediately found Galarraga and apologized for his historic mistake. Not only did he man up, but when the press asked him about the missed call, these were some of Joyce’s sound bites:

- “I just cost that kid a perfect game.”

- “I don’t blame the Tigers for anything that was said after the game.”

- “This was a history call. And I kicked the (stuff) out of it.”

Detroit Tiger’s coach, Jim Leyland, noted in the post-game press conference that baseball is full of “the human element,” and that no one would feel worse about this than Joyce. Even Galarraga chose to take the higher road saying, “He feels really bad, probably worse than me. I give a lot of credit to that guy, to say he’s sorry. I gave him a hug. His body English said more than the words. Nobody’s perfect.”

Maybe the most powerful of statements came from Don Denkinger, who is famously known for his blown call in Game 6 of the 1985 World Series. A blown call that eventually led to the St. Louis Cardinals losing that game and the series. Knowing a thing or two by being haunted by one mistake, Denkinger was asked why he kept a photograph in his office that clearly depicts the botched call. He replied that it was to remind him that we’re human and we can all make mistakes. He also added, “We’re not always on top, sometimes we’re on the bottom.”

Today is a bottom kind of day for umpire Jim Joyce. Major League Baseball gave him the opportunity to skip working today’s game in Detroit. A game that would put Joyce as the home plate umpire. It would also put a heat lamp on his head as fans would boo him endlessly and every call of his would be seen through a microscopic, unforgiving fan base. Still, Joyce refused to sit out today.

At the beginning of today’s game, Galarraga was chosen to bring out the lineup card for his team to the umpire crew. Fittingly, he would have to hand the lineup card to Joyce, the very umpire that took away his name being etched into the history books just one night ago. As he handed the lineup card, Galarraga gave a forgiving pat and handshake to Joyce. As Galarraga greeted the other umpires, the cameras caught Joyce wiping his eyes as tears welled up.

Joyce is after all only human.

“How’s Your Day?”

Won Kim — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:44:06 -0800

I just finished a book. It’s called The War of Art, which is not to be mistaken with Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Author Steven Pressfield is a former marine, so there is a sense of warring alluded in the book, but nothing that will compel you to dust off your Risk board game. And not that many people want to play Risk anyway.

Okay, back to my point. There’s a captivating line from the book that reads, “Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.” If you want me to fully comprehend the whole notion of Resistance, I would suggest you buy the book, but basically, Resistance is the thing that stops you from releasing your creative work.

During a snow day I had last week, I was faced with many options. Shovel, sled, sleep, schlep, surf the Internet and many other activities that may or may not start with the letter S. The one thing I found hardest to do was “silence” the day. My Resistance was the inability to just get quiet, soak in the moment for more than a moment and actually ask God, “What’s up?”

Sometimes when I pick up my 5-year-old son, I ask him, “How was your day?” It is a simple question, and oftentimes, it elicits simple answers from my son. He talks a lot. He talks about his friends, what he ate (although I know what he ate as I usually pack it), the project he worked on for the day, how he loves animals and how he can’t wait to get older so he can start driving a truck.

Before you know it, my son has just spent our whole car ride talking about stuff. With one question, we made a real deep connection. My son feels confident that I know how his day was and I feel good for being the kind of dad who “invests time” into his children, or something like that.

For some reason, I tend to forget that prayer with God is a lot like that interaction I have with my son in our car. It’s telling him how my day was. Just talking … kind of like a salesman with a Bluetooth strapped to his ear except you don’t look as funny.

I’m thinking about going for a walk. Actually, I’m going to just do it. I’m going to walk. I’m thinking about talking to God during that time. I’ll start by answering the question, “How’s your day?”

Four Friends and a Funeral

Won Kim — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:13:54 -0800

On a recent Saturday, I attended a funeral to honor the passing of a friend’s mom. All I knew driving to the funeral was that she died of cancer, and that funerals are almost always sad. This particular day proved the latter wrong.

People say, or at least I’ve heard it said, that funerals bring people and memories together. The strange thing with this funeral is that I hardly knew my friend’s mom. All I wanted to do was support my friend through what has been a tough year. I decided to carpool with four friends, all of which shared the same sentiment: support our friend during this time of loss.

If you Google mapped our journey, it began in New York City to North Jersey to a quick stop at a rest area for gas and coffee and then a straight shot down the New Jersey Turnpike toward Princeton. During our drive, the five of us caught up on life, discussed various current events, commented on the blandness of the Turnpike scenery and then before you knew it, arrived at our destination.

At the suggestion of a very intuitive friend, we all spent a few minutes in our parked car praying for our dear friend and his family. During this short time of prayer, our hearts reached out for our friend, and even felt the remorse of losing such a significant figure in one’s life. The memorial service was brief, but the stories shared in remembrance of a life once lived reminded me how important it is to be in the details.

Story after story painted a picture of a life that was lived well. No long oration about some generalized significance of this mother, wife and friend to many, but small snippets of tangential stories that somehow connected to form an outline of a good life. It was peaceful and subtly joyous.

The day ended with my four friends and myself cramming into the car and riding north on the Turnpike. For some reason, a greater appreciation for the small stuff and the details overwhelmed me. In my mind, I took frozen pictures of our time together. In my heart, I took notes of the conversations we had, making sure I made footnotes regarding the depth, the lightness and the laughter. It reminded me of a poignant verse in Luke 2:19 that captures Mary’s response to the amazing events surrounding the birth of Jesus, “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Pondering is a necessary activity. It’s part examination, part meditation, part slowing things down. During this Lent season, let us ponder about the living presence of God in our life. Remember the great stories and be reminded that God is in the details.

Apple Tablet, Steve Jobs, iSlate ... oh, and Haiti

Won Kim — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:31:35 -0800

Unless you've been living under a rock or a Kindle, you probably have heard the rumors surrounding Apple’s unveiling of the Apple Tablet (which will take place Jan. 27). According to Steve Jobs, the tablet “will be the most important thing I’ve ever done.” That is saying a lot since he was the mastermind behind other little hits (iPod, iPhone, Pixar). In any case, you don’t have to be a tech geek to know that the announcement may revolutionize the world as we know it, or at least the world that revolves around multi-touch screens, cool apps, pricey gadgets and a man who loves wearing jeans and a black turtleneck.

I’ll come out and say it, I want this tablet. I don't even know what it looks like (although this blogger took a nice stab at it) nor do I know what is really rumor or fact, yet I still want it. Functionally (I assume), it will make me more efficient at my job, as well as make for a great companion on my morning commutes. Not only that, but I’ll be the envy of every subway commuter … well, until they get their own.

Let me again say, I really want this tablet. I wonder how much the tablet will cost? I’m sure it’ll be pricey, but have you not read all the reports on it? The way bloggers are raving about it this tablet is worth its weight in gold. Then I remember the images and the stories streaming from the broken country of Haiti. It makes me wonder—no, really wonder—if I am more willing to buy the tablet than to send money of the same amount to Haiti. I know, what a killjoy.

Let’s be honest. We live in a consumeristic culture that operates out of perceived obsolescence—we believe we need this product. Some of us won’t think twice about standing in line for days to get our hands on the tablet. There are people in Haiti standing in line for hours to just get a bottle of water and bread.

I want this tablet; however, I can't get the faces out of my mind. I’m having a hard time forgetting the stories of people robbing each other for crumbs.

The truth is, I really want the tablet, and if my actions and attention given toward the Apple tablet is any indication, I want it more than helping Haiti. Talk about a killjoy.

*Note: I have a good friend who is one of the bigger Apple evangelists I know. Yet, in the aftermath of Haiti, he spent days setting up a site with his design buddies to make a dent in Haiti’s suffering. This is a great place to start … Apple can wait. Visit their site: http://www.threadnwater.com/

Getting Fired: Conan’s Great Legacy

Won Kim — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 00:34:01 -0800

“Please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism--it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.” - Conan O’Brien

The above quote was part of Conan O’ Brien’s farewell speech on the last taping of The Tonight Show. As everyone knows, his run was short-lived (7 months). A combination of low ratings, poor primetime programming (Jay Leno’s 10 pm show), impatient NBC executives and the invention of DVR/Hulu/Cable all led to the demise and firing of Conan as host of The Tonight Show.

The public relations nightmare that NBC faced all week has hopefully come to an end (for now). Could it have been handled better? Probably. Did Conan, Leno and David Letterman showcase the highest level of etiquette? No. Was this trainwreck entertaining to watch? Yeah. Still, there was more haranguing on late night this past week than you’ll find on C-Span … snare drum and cymbal. There were more finger pointing taking place than a dance floor at a 70s nightclub during a Bee Gees song … crickets. Wow, it is a hard gig.

But the hilarity of this whole late night drama is that Conan was given a chance that rarely any person who has ever been fired (or let go) from a job will ever get—that is he had a whole week to air dirty laundry, stick it to the man and try to coax fans and new viewers onto the Conan bandwagon.

In the corporate world, if you are fired, your departure more closely resembles Jerry Maguire’s experience in the famed Cameron Crowe film. You get the pink slip and you are escorted out … quickly. Like a band-aid, your ties to the company are ripped swiftly. Or as the saying goes, “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!” Yet, Conan, who works for one of the largest and most admired companies in the world, General Electric, was given one week on the air to share his grievances with millions of viewers.

Although he got canned from NBC, he was given a chance to get the last laugh. So gradually, this past week’s monologue and sketches became more poignant, and somewhat scathing. Well-known stars of current NBC shows (Ed Helms, Joel McHale, Steve Carrel, Chevy Chase) made cameos, as did familiar faces who had runs on NBC shows like Saturday Night Live (Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell), all with subtle or not-so-subtle slights directed toward NBC.

Imagine you getting fired from your company this week, yet the company allows you to stay on for another week. On top of that, they give you the liberty to visit every employee sitting in their cubicles and the power to call every client on that master list. What would you do? Would you sully the name of the company? Would you take current and former employees out to lunch and just let them air it out?

Conan did some of that. He was noticeably shaken up about the fact that his dream job was suddenly stripped from him without a real fighting chance. He felt for his staff that moved from New York City to Los Angeles believing it was for the long haul. Most people in that situation would do what Conan did, which is to punch back some.

Conan and Leno definitely caused some verbal damage and created fodder for the media masses. No one knows yet what the collateral damage will be. Can Leno reclaim the ratings war in late night? Will Conan’s career be successful come next Fall when he’s contractually allowed to return to a competitor network?

I don’t watch enough late night to know, and I’m guessing you don’t know (or care). Seriously, how many of you actually stay up on a nightly basis to watch The Tonight Show until recently? Exactly.

However, as the show came to a close this past Friday night, Conan didn’t leave with a huge swipe at NBC or a last biting comment at the executives. He left fortunate that he had a chance to live his lifelong dream (albeit for 7 months), and he also exited with such practical and simple words that my dad could have wrote it: “Please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism--it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”

Five simple points:
-   Kill cynicism
-   Life is unpredictable
-   Work hard
-   Be a nice person
-   Good things will come

So, next time you get fired, pooped on or wronged, remember the lasting legacy of Coco … well, at least the last 5 minutes of his run.

Be Moved by Haiti

Won Kim — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:56:20 -0800

During a crisis like this, one can only do so much. But in what we can do, the most important thing is that we actually DO.

Please continue to keep Haiti in prayer. Also, give to organizations that has a lot of people on the ground in Haiti. Talking about Haiti and the people impacted by the devastation doesn't actually do anything for them.

Here are some helpful links to get plugged into doing something for Haiti and its people:

Earthquake relief summary

CharityWater summary

Mashable summary

Powerful photo summary