The connection between Moses and Ohio State

Many people are probably reading this wondering how on earth Moses and Ohio State are connected. Well for starters let me tell you they are not connected at all. Well at least the biblical Moses is not. No, I am talking about a gentleman by the name of Moses I met at a blackjack table in Las Vegas on my recent journey to Sin City. He is the man who is connected to Ohio State. Now you are probably saying "how is blackjack in Las Vegas connected to Ohio State?" Please allow me.

A few weeks ago the students at OSU put on a "flash dance" in the middle of their student union during exam week. To this point the video has already passed 1 million views. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDNOB6TnHSI). For 3 minutes about 100 or so students and professors danced. They all showed up in Ohio State gear, smiling. For these 3 minutes nothing came into the mind of those dancers and people who were lucky enough to be there to watch. Nothing. Exam week is hands down the most stressful time of year for any student, but Spring semester exam week is different. Students are crammed in libraries and dorm rooms studying while the sun is shinning. Seniors are trying to find jobs and prepare for graduation, other students are packing before the dorms close, finding summer jobs and saying their goodbyes for the summer. All of this must be done with the added stress of finals. But these students and professors took it upon themselves to lighten the mood. For those 3 minutes everyone was at peace and happy. The worries of the "real world" were tossed out the window. To me this is more than just a stress break, this video, those dancers represent the real American ideal, a land of freedom and happiness.

Now we flash forward to Moses and the blackjack table. Keep in mind, I had a few drinks at this table, but I am a big boy now, I was sober. For the most part. After about 10 minutes of playing just the dealer and me, this gentleman walks over and sits down. The dealer recognizes him right away and introduces us. "Josh this is Moses, Moses this is Josh." What is my first though? "Oh great another Las Vegas nut job who thinks he is the next messiah." Boy was I wrong. Moses was just another tourist like myself, a good guy probably about 40 or so, just trying to relax. As the play went on the conversation carried on and got more and more intense. Soon I realized that Moses did not care if he won 500 dollars of lost 3000 dollars. He did not care how many Whiskey Sours I had or how many cranberry juices he had. What he did care about was myself and the dealer. While we sat there, we were the most important people in the world to him, we were his family. I swear if someone had run in with a gun he would have taken a bullet for me. Now why is this so important, because Moses not only realized but was living the idea that we only live one life and there is no reason to not be happy. This is an idea I had realized recently and been striving to live, but Moses, he lived it. He knew that everyday could be his last, every person he met he could change their life, and every minute he had was worth enjoying.

Both the dancers at OSU and Moses had one of the most important values of life in mind, happiness. Both realized there are more important things in this world than grades or money. The size of your house does not matter. When the dancers took the floor in the student union they were not thinking about how that dance would help them make money or get a job. In fact there is almost no way in which that dance will help them. When Moses sits down at a blackjack table, he does not to pay rent or put food on the table, he does it so he can enjoy his time. Too many people in today's world value money above happiness. Is 1 million dollars worth the stress and tension that divides your friends and family? Some people would say yes, I say no. Moses says no. The dancers at OSU say no. You only have one life, live it. Try something new, do something that makes you happy. Be kind to others for no reason other than the fact that they may be having a bad day. Anytime you are worried about something think to yourself "what is the worst that can happen? Is that really that horrible?" Most of the time the answer will be "no" it is not that bad. Everywhere you go, everything you do remember one simple thing, Smile. A day without smiling is the worst thing in the world. You will be happier if you smile more. Smile.