What Ultimately Unites the World? Planking!

I am a huge fan of planking, and if you don't know what that is, you should go read the Wikipedia entry for it.  You'll be disappointed because it sounds like something vaguely sexual or even violent but it is in fact just about the silliest trend there is. Planking is simply lying down perfectly flat and straight with your arms at your sides and face to the ground (thereby resembling a wooden plank). The idea is to plank in various places and locales and post photographic evidence on the web for all to see and appreciate.

Planking has gone global with even television news readers getting in on the sport (though Fox, as usual, couldn't quite get it right, but give them credit for trying). So why do I like planking so much? Because I think it's hilarious and tremendous fun. But more importantly, I think it's a beautiful phenomenon that proves just how connected we are as a collective humanity. We are always looking for grand and unifying visions to bring the word together, but I think planking proves something even more than the usual themes of unifying against injustice, supporting democracy, or fighting evil. This is because, unlike all other movements and claims, planking is international and knows no cultural, political, social, demographic, or economic boundaries. School kids in Japan, engineers in the Ukraine, surgeons in Russia, bus conductors in Bhutan, fisherman in Indonesia, and surfers in Malibu (and everyone in between) are all planking. Planking is completely illogical, serves no purpose, and is devoid of any meaning or social value.

It's just outright strange and silly. And that's why it's beautiful.

If something that is this strange and lacking in any discernible logical foundation can unify people all over the world, then how can anyone argue that there isn't something deeper and undefinable yet palpable and powerful that unites us all regardless of the extremes in our experiences and circumstances? Something that unites so many without any true purpose proves that there is something else at work here.

Call it silliness, I don't care. Planking has renewed my faith in human nature.