Bracket Release Disclaimer
I’ll save you all the italics for this Disclaimer considering the whole post in just that. Well, from now on…
As the rabid fan of March Madness that I have been for as long as I can remember, literally ANY bracket-format tournament and the release of the seedings is exciting for me. So, even as I haphazardly listed the 60 candidates that I found and used an online resource for a randomized list of numbers with which to fill in the bracket, I was having an incredible time. I giggled, often, and immediately saw some of the pros and cons of this format. But, I never lost touch of the entertainment value in this exercise, and I hope the same can be true for you. Regardless of your preferences, affiliations, and opinions, this was meant for fun and I hope that you can have a moment to sit back, laugh a little, and lose yourself in productive fantasizing.
In the case of both The Council and The Volunteered I did my best to be all-inclusive. This was ultimately, and admittedly, hindered by my limited societal scope. I’m not proud of it, but I’m also not embarrassed by it. At this moment in my life, I have certain areas prioritized and certain protections in place - not safety protections but ones for sanity, positivity, etc. I can be a simple person, I can have simple tastes, I can have simple focus. In many instances, the “experts” that I chose for The Council and The Volunteered were the direct results of blatant and explicit Google searches. “Humanitarian celebrities” or “major influencers in education” were not uncommon starting points to seek diversity among the individuals selected. My “research” of a lot of these candidates was equally as topical. If their picture and name was accompanied by a short bio or description, I read that, but that was where most of it ended. I do, however, have quite the list of individuals that I am going to dive more deeply into learning about once this is all done and I have a little more free time. There are an awful lot of really good people out there. That was refreshing.
There weren’t really restrictions entertained for individuals selected other than age and/or me not wanting to torture them by putting them into political office. There were a lot that I left off. There are some that may make absolutely NO sense other than there is something about them that struck me as a quality I would love to see in the leader of our country...or at least on a team of leaders.
The seedings of the candidates should also be undeniable proof that I used a randomized sequence. No offense meant to those candidates who did receive higher seeds, but...well you’ll see. Though I may not know much about politics, I definitely know seeding and in this completely fabricated case, The Council, (in this case played solely by me and an online number generator), missed on a few occasions.
I will say, however, that the resulting Tournament to Leaders would be very entertaining and, by the end, could easily boil down to a group of four individuals who would bring open minds, caring hearts, and good intentions that, with support, could get a whole lot of good done in just a year at the helm.
I wish the best to all of you this 4th of July. It has been a rough year. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay sharp. I hope this release of The Tournament to Leaders sparks some imbibed debate, some patriotic banter, and some restored faith and pride in what we can, and will, become as we start using our hearts, our minds, and our voices together to redefine tradition for our society in our generation.
Own Your I,
Ben