"Hi. My name is Matt and I'm a Seinfeld junkie."
Yes it's true. I love me some Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer. Oh that kooky Kramer. And Newman. I can't leave out Newman. I have been a fan of the show for years, having seen every episode countless times.
"But I don't wanna be a pirate!"
"Yada-yada-yada."
"No soup for you. Come back ONE YEAR!""
These pretzels are making me thirsty!"
The irony is that, beneath the humor, lie some philosophical gems, particularly concerning the concept which I am calling NooDoo. Let's consider three episodes (not referenced in the order they originally aired).
There is the one about "bizarro Jerry" and "the bizarro world." Things get bizarro because Elaine makes new friends with characters who are basically the alternative versions of Jerry, George and Kramer. There is even an appearance by an alternative Newman who is, of course, a different version of Jerry's postal nemesis. The iconic Seinfeld theme music even plays backward in keeping with the bizarro thread.
The interesting thing is that we have the power to create our own little "bizarro worlds" by tapping into the magic of NooDoo. How? There are alternatives for all sorts of the things that make up our daily lives. There are new choices, new decisions and new ideas which, once implemented, can transform our personal world into a new reality.
Ideas have an exceedingly brief shelf-life. Ideas get old really quick. Many ideas have become obsolete without even being noticed. The principle of NooDoo affords us the opportunity to essentially open up a "portal" of sorts to a new reality, similar to the bizarro world of Seinfeld.
One obvious way to apply this concept is to do what Elaine does in the episode. There is a human tendency to gravitate toward friends and associates who fit within a certain relational framework. How about shaking up your life-sized snow globe by actively seeking out the company of individuals who are completely different from your usual social circle? It could be just one new person who breaks the mold and becomes your "bizarro friend."
There is an additional layer to this "bizarro worlds" idea. There exists a fascinating theory within the field of quantum physics known as the Many Worlds Interpretation (MWI). This thought-provoking theory was initially put forth by quantum physicist Hugh Everett way back in the 1950's.
According to MWI, our world - indeed our universe - is only one of many worlds and many universes within a larger "multiverse." In fact, the word many doesn't do the idea justice. Only the word infinite will do.
The reality we know, says MWI, is constantly splitting or branching off into an infinite variety of alternate realities where everything is not only possible, but actually takes place. A consequence of this construct is that there are infinite versions of you somewhere out there in the multiverse - like the alternate versions of Jerry, George and Kramer. Now that is quite bizarro, don't you think?
The point I wish to highlight here is that we can enjoy the newness of an alternate world in the here-and-now by practicing the magic of NooDoo. We don't need to open a literal, material portal to one of these parallel universes in order to wake up in a fresh, new reality. Portals are everywhere! All we have to do is look for opportunities to take new actions and implement new ideas.
Then there is the Seinfeld episode where the sequence of events goes in reverse. The gang travels to India to attend a wedding. The show begins at the end and continues in reverse until the conclusion which is actually the beginning of the story. Did you get that? It may only be entertainment, but that is what I consider innovative thinking. (By the way, the word innovate originates from a root word that means new. To innovate is to bring something new to the table.) There is a word that encapsulates this idea of going in an opposite direction from the usual order. That word? Inversion.
There is a system for engineering and invention that employs inversion as one of its core principles for teaching innovative thinking. There are forty principles in total and "the other way round" is taught as the thirteenth technique. (If you would like more information, google TRIZ.) So whether we are talking about show business, the technical business of engineering or our daily routines, reversing the usual order is a great tool for harnessing the transformative power of NooDoo.
Lastly, but by no means least, there is "the opposite" Seinfeld episode. This one is as enlightening as it is comical.
In a nutshell, George discovers the magic of doing the complete opposite of his natural impulses. When he begins to do the opposite of what he would usually do, amazing things begin to happen in his life. He begins to achieve success in areas where before he had been plagued by failure. He meets a beautiful woman. He achieves his childhood dream of working for the New York Yankees. And he is finally able to move out of his parents' house into his own apartment. The epiphany is so great that he compares it to a religious experience.
"If every instinct you have is wrong, then the opposite would have to be right." ~ Jerry ~
What a philosophical gem! Funny, yes. But it is equally profound.
© Matt Decker
» This post is excerpted from my book The Magic of NOODOO
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