Bizarre, International, Society

Who Are You Calling A Yo-Yo?

by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger

I wasn’t going to do a column this weekend for a variety of reasons.  However, I saw this video this morning and wanted to share it.  As a kid, I spent one summer immersed in playing with a yo-yo. The physics of the thing was a very satisfying distraction. However, my brief fling is nothing compared to the lifelong passion for the toy found by the Japanese performance artist known as Black. This TED talk begins with him explaining how he came to acquire his skills and an interesting story of perseverance. It is followed by a demonstration that is just pure fun to watch.  Without further comment, I present Black and his moment of Zen . . .

~submitted by Gene Howington, Guest Blogger

12 thoughts on “Who Are You Calling A Yo-Yo?”

  2. Who could forget Tommy Smothers. He was hilarious, and they were rebels @ the time. Lot’s of problems w/ the censors.

  4. Great video Gene. It made feel young!
    Blouise, great Smothers Brothers clip!!

  5. Gene,

    My brothers and I loved the yoyo. We’d practise for hours and then have competitions which our parents were forced to judge. It was great fun.

    Remember Tommy Smothers?

  7. effort with passion leads to success. Yes it does.

    Interesting what you can learn from a YoYo about life.

  8. Great video, w/ a very important message. I was fortunate to find a career that I loved. Whenever I speak w/ young people I ask them to find something they love and make that their career. I never considered all the hours I spent on cases as “work.” I didn’t wake up in the morning and say, “Oh damn, I have to go to work today.” There were very tough times, particularly starting a business. However, the passion of loving what I did just kept me moving forward. This video is perfect for young people. It conveys that message much better than I ever could.

  9. Gene,
    I agree about the moment of Zen. There are some things that are so spellbinding one becomes lost in the moment. You may have inspired a new tradition here. The Zen Moment story. Amongst all the sturm und drang of the news of the day (David’s post this morning is a good example), we need these moments.

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