I have been experiencing a crisis of faith as of late. Don’t worry about me, when I see news reports from Haiti or people living in tents, it shakes you back to reality. However, in recent years I have found myself profoundly disgusted by the greed and ego that rules the world. I see good people struggling to make ends meet and I see bad people, very-very bad people, get wealthier and not give a second thought to those who are less fortunate or who they walk over in the process.Now, can you really be sympathetic for a guy who basically made $33-million for eight months work? Not really especially considering the state of the economy, what’s going on in Haiti and the hell in our own personal lives, however, as I watched Conan on Friday night (and the entire week leading up to the show) I couldn’t help but sense a profound attachment to the man and his struggle. What so many people are identifying with is the corporate BS being dealt with here. We have all worked for people and corporations where they manage to do the thing that makes the least amount of sense and O’Brien’s exit from NBC is no different.
In recent years those in a position to sacrifice without having their way of life affected in a negative way have more times than not been given a free pass while many of us stand on the sidelines and watch opportunities, hopes and dreams disappear into the air where we believe they are gone forever. But on Friday night, I got teary eyed at Conan’s final speech.
"To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: Please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere."
I don’t write for a living…I write because I have to. While it’s fun to take jabs at people here and there, cynicism isn’t my forte. I want to believe that everyone who write a book, creates music or is in the film industry does so because they are passionate about it. They’re not, but it won’t stop me from believing.
But then when he said this, well, it hit me hard;
"Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."
I’m not sure if he is right or wrong. But when he said this, I felt hopeful. I felt optimistic and despite the shitstorm that we’re all in the middle of…for the first time in a long time, hearing those words made me feel like everything was going to be OK. Even if it’s not, I believe in those words, I believe in those actions and I’ll be damned if I’m going to change anything.
Thanks Coco-see you further on up the road.
Watch the farewell at this link.
