How many of you know there are 14 books in the Oz universe by L. Frank Baum? The first of the series, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was published in 1900, the last, Glinda of Oz, released in 1920.
According to the US Library of Congress, the 1939 musical, The Wizard of Oz, is the most seen movie in history! Due to the popularity of the musical, many believe that retelling is the full extent of the story, yet it only tells a small version of the story, and one may argue a distorted perspective.
Several years ago, our family was able to see the Tony-award winning play Wicked on Broadway with its original cast. And a few months ago, we were able to see Part 1 of the Academy Award nominated musical - it did win in 2 categories; on a separate note, has anyone seen Anora?
Without revealing spoilers, both the Wicked play and movie are about misunderstandings, distorted perspectives, and unjust/unwarranted accusations. Despite the challenges presented throughout, both stories are about Defying Gravity.
Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
And you can't pull me down
For those that attended the morning session at our 2024 Entrepreneur Expo, you heard me read these lyrics; I truly believe they express the entrepreneurial journey and ours as 1TEDCO.
Now, as an engineer, we studied the acceleration of gravity (expressed as g) as “the net acceleration that is imparted to objects due to the combined effect of gravitation and the Earth’s centrifugal force;” is 9.8m/superscript (9.8 meters per second per second). Thus, NOTHING can defy gravity (the Super family, excluded!).
But as Elphaba (the so-called “Wicked Witch”) faces a crucial moment in the play and movie, she decides to become more than she believes she can be. She sheds the anchors and the physics of what she believed were her reality (without giving away too much, one could argue she was forced to do this shedding); she chose a path that, until then, seemed neither possible nor probable. She made a choice to defy conventional wisdom, norms, physics and gravity.
Isn’t that what we ask of our ourselves and our ecosystem? Especially in these uncertain times, we may be called to defy conventional wisdom, norms and gravity.
I'm through accepting limits
'Cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change, but 'til I try, I'll never know
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love, I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love, it comes at much too high a cost
I'd sooner buy defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down
So, if you care to find me
Look to the western sky
As someone told me lately, "Everyone deserves the chance to fly"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who ground me, take a message back from me
Tell them how I am defying gravity
I'm flying high, defying gravity
And soon, I'll match them in renown
Sometimes, reality isn’t what you see, read or have been told to believe. So, grab your brooms, Maryland, and fly!
Until next time, please stay safe, sane, healthy and blessed!