From the Streets:
The Power of Nothing
by DON COOROUGH
Don Coorough is a homeless writer who writes the weblog "Shoreline Driftwood" and has penned two books titled "Love-ism Volume I: A Critical Mass and Other Poems" and "Love-ism Volume II: Essays on a Philosophy of Compassionate, Common-Sensed Evolution," both of which are available for free download on Shoreline Driftwood, poems approximately 17 poems which have been published by various online literary journals and articles for magazines; a former Production Manager for animation who worked on the movie "The Extraordinary Adventures of tthe Mouse and His Child," the television specials "Puff the Magic Dragon," "Animalympics," "Stanley the Ugly Duckling," and "Annabelle's Wish," a host of television commercials and a children's education CD-rom titled "Connie and Bonnie's Birthday Blast Off;" a musician who played in bands from 1970 to 1997 and as a songwriter had his song, "They Died Young," recorded by The Tooners on their CD, "Roctasia," both of which are available on iTunes; and a paralegal who worked in criminal defense and plaintiff's personal injury and had his legal writing submitted to courts including The Arizona State Court of Appeals and The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Don was an antiwar activist as a college student during the Vietnam War era and has a lifelong commitment to pacifism, peace, justice and equality.
When we were in school, our math teachers taught us that anything multiplied by zero (nothing) is zero (nothing). I’m here, today, to tell you that in some situations, those math teachers were wrong. Let me explain by example.
I am homeless, without employment and broke. Yet I eat every single day. I multiply my hunger by zero money and still end up fed. I have no computer, yet I am a published poet and writer and continue to be published. I multiply my lack of a computer and inability to pay for internet access by zero money and yet still submit my writing to publishers, have it accepted for publication and see my writing published. Without a job, I am unable to earn the funds with which to purchase a bus ticket. However, multiply my need to get around by zero money and still I ride the bus everywhere I have to go every single day. I live without any funds in the bank or a job to earn any money. Still, I multiply my desire to go back to school and finish my college education by zero dollars and end up with a grant to attend Pima Community College.
We can take this a step further. When many people see me on the street, they look at me and see a homeless man, add to that picture their own assumptions about what that must mean based on their own prejudices, and arrive at the conclusion that I am a nothing, a big zero. Yet, I am a man who continues to have his writing published, finds a place to sleep every day, keeps himself clean, maintains his hygiene and nutrition, keeps his mind active, works at his craft on a daily basis, gets around town with ease, stays on top of caring for his medical conditions and who will be going to college in the fall, taking a full load of 16 units.
How does nothing account for so much?
The answer is that “nothing” does not exist. I am not a nothing. The illusion that it takes money to do things is just an illusion. The idea that you have to have a job to accomplish anything in life is a myth. The reality is, you can accomplish anything you want, all you have to do is do something about it, and keep doing something about it every day of your life. It is also true that no one accomplishes anything alone, not even mere survival. We all rely on others, every step of the way. The way to make something out of the illusion of nothing is to add to nothing the sum total of all that you are and then add to that the sum total of everyone you know and everyone who helps you or accompanies you through your daily life. This is the secret behind the power of nothing.
The power of nothing finds a few pennies on the ground and a few nickels and dimes and quarters, and turns those coins into laundry money. The power of nothing takes a hungry person to a soup kitchen or church offering a meal. The power of nothing helps a person find a free shower, or guides them to find a safe place in solitude where you can combine a couple of bottles of water with a bar of soap and clean yourself. The power of nothing leads you to charity offering free tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes so you can brush your teeth.
But the power of nothing is greater than that. The power of nothing lives in your dreams, in your inspiration, in your desire, and in the willingness of others to aid you in your desire when it is strong and clear. People become caught up in your enthusiasm and want to help the person who strives to fulfill their dreams and aspirations. The power of nothing leads angels to your doorstep who will give you a monthly bus pass. The power of nothing draws the insight to go Pima College and apply for a Pell Grant so you can use the money to attend college. The power of nothing multiplies that Pell Grant by an unexpected student loan which will pay for the cost of housing while you go to school. The power of nothing will lead you to the University of Arizona library, where you can do more than play games on the internet, where you can actually connect with people and show them your writing, or you can fill out the applications for college and grants, or look for a job on so many job boards available, or just read – either books or information on the internet – and improve your mind, challenge it, keep it working, thinking, dreaming, aspiring!
The power of nothing lives in your deepest aspirations. Don’t let anyone call you a failure or a nothing or pigeonhole you in anyway. Within the depth of your desires and aspirations, your dreams and hopes, your passions and excitement for life, you are as infinite as the universe! Remember, failure only exists when one stops trying to achieve something. However, as long as one keeps trying, one is still on the road to success! Never stop striving to be all you can be, because you can’t ever become the person you dreamed of being as a child without continuing to strive. It’s that child in you that provides the power of nothing. That child in you will shine brightly, and draw your angels to you if you embrace it and believe in yourself.