Foreword
First, take a deep breath. At the risk of seeming trite, I ask you to remember the adage, "do not judge a book by its cover." While this book's cover may - understandably - be almost asking for initial judgement, and may be interpreted as harsh, offensive, or any other way rooted in negative, reactionary sentiment, the principal intent for its use is to bring the reader to explore the book's contents. You've come this far, now. I advise you to go further, but with the understanding that this work will contain aspects of the history of one man, and should generally be appreciated as such - the story, insights, and opinions of one particular man.
As far as the general audience to this work may be concerned, coincidence seems to be the best word to characterize what brought me to meet DeRon Johnson. Coincidence seems as well to be the word to describe how DeRon came to share this intensely personal project of his, with me. Of course, as a proponent and student of New Thought, I personally know that what truly brought DeRon into my life - and me into his - was much more than just coincidence.
The Law of Attraction ensures that when a person has a sincere desire for something - an extraordinary sense of want for something - along with the belief that the object of desire is deserved and will inevitably come into possession, then the desire will be satisfied - always, 100% of the time. One of DeRon's deepest desires - really a dream of his - is to articulate his own experiences with college athletics over a decade ago, with the primary intention to disseminate information that may facilitate similar journeys for people who find themselves on similar paths. He was brought to me (or I was brought to him) because this desire burned so intensely in him, and he believed so much that it would manifest in his finished work. He - with his story and want to share it - was placed in position to gain my attention; the attention of a person with a lifelong personal agenda to promote social egalitarianism, and enhance quality of life for all. The attention of a person with what seem to be serendipitous, recently formed relationships with people who are powerhouses in personal growth, professional development, literature publishing, and social networking. The Law of Attraction is, indeed, at work.
I will say now that I personally do not agree with many statements DeRon makes in this book. But, I also do not have to. This is his book, not mine. He is a man exercising his right to express himself and share parts of his testimony on Life. The point of my foreword is to support that right, and encourage all people to practice it. The intrinsic value of one human being's life is no lesser or greater than that of another. I am becoming a physician, and planning to consistently carry out my work in accordance with and because of that fact. We all have the right to be heard, we all have the right to listen (as well as not to), and we all have the right to choose our beliefs.
Take care not to miss the larger, more impacting message that permeates DeRon's story; that everybody should dream big, because anybody can design the life they want and achieve success in anything. Anything, that is, when pertinent information is clear and brought to attention. The more that people realize significant conclusions should be rooted in accurate global knowledge, the better our collective understanding of ourselves and each other will become.
Mahdi Pessarakli
Tucson, Arizona
March, 2011
