The last time I attended a baseball game I was able to bring my 6 year old son, it was his first major league game and what made it great was to be able to watch my favorite pitcher go up against his rival.  As we were enjoying the pitching duel some fans began to do the wave, so I had to teach my son what to do.  As the wave gets closer to us we made the rolling “whooo” sound, stood up, threw our hands in the air and sat back down.  It’s not something I particularly enjoy doing but it’s part of the game, like picking which hat contains the hidden ball or standing during the 7^th inning stretch (whether you need to or not).  Then it occurred to me that the wave means more than just something fun to do, it has implications that reach further than any baseball game can.  There are two things unique to the wave: first it is started by one single, ordinary person.  Someone somewhere decides that doing the wave would be a good idea and persuades the people sitting next to him to join him.  This continues until the wave has consumed an entire section of people, and all of a sudden it builds momentum and rolls around the stadium.  It does not happen by any other means than one person motivating another, unlike the times when the crowd is prompted for a response, like when “Day-O” or the intro to John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” come on the p.a. system.  Secondly, and most importantly, the wave is not done because it is merely something fun to do, as I said before I am not a fan of doing the wave.  It is an amazing site to see this piece of work travel around the entire stadium from top to bottom.  The wave is performed for the enjoyment of everyone else.  Your role is not to gain a thrill in standing and throwing your hands in the air, but in allowing the person across from you to enjoy the sites and sounds of the wave going by.  This is an important fabric in our society.  Someone becomes passionate about an idea and persuades other people to believe in it.  This grassroots movement can become an overwhelming force that changes lives for the better.  And let’s never forget that it is not the selfish person that we hold in high regard, but it is the person who acts selflessly and is compassionate towards other people that we hold up and admire.  These are the things that are important.  As I look out at my daily life I wonder what type of world it will be when my son becomes a man.  With all of life’s trials and tribulations, I am encouraged every time I see the wave.  And even though I may not like it, I will always stand and throw my hands up with a smile, and teach my son to do the same.