Cool, Cooler...Super Cool

I've always been a fan of cool. Therefore I decided to dedicate a website to it. As the title suggests, there are various levels of cool, starting with cool and ending with super cool. However, there doesn't necessarily have to be different levels of cool. Cool is still cool. I just liked the term 'super cool', I thought it sounded cool :-)

Cool have different meanings of course, for instance it can refer to the weather, e.g. a cool breeze. Or it can refer to color, e.g. cool blue. As you have probably guessed by now, what I am referring to in this article is cool as a behavioral characteristic, aesthetic appeal, or state of being.

According to Wikipedia, there are no single concept of cool, but it can be divided in certain broad categories:

Cool as a behavioral characteristic

'A set of discernible bodily movements, postures, facial expressions and voice modulations that are acquired and take on strategic social value within the peer context.' - Wikepedia

Cool as aesthetic appeal

'Cool is also an attitude widely adopted by artists and intellectuals, who thereby aided its infiltration into popular culture. Sought by product marketing firms, idealized by teenagers, a shield against racial oppression or political persecution and source of constant cultural innovation, cool has become a global phenomenon that has spread to every corner of the earth.' -Wikipedia

Cool as a state of being

'Cool has been used to describe a general state of well-being, a transcendent, internal peace and serenity. It can also refer to an absence of conflict, a state of harmony and balance. Cool can similarly be used to describe composure and absence of excitement in a person - especially in times of stress - as expressed in the idiom to keep your cool.' - Wikipedia

I find these three definitions quite interesting, and it fits in perfectly with the title of my article as well. These three definitions of cool incidentally increase in relevance as well, just as 'cool, cooler, super cool' increases in relevance. I say incidentally because I didn't plan it this way before I started this article, I just noticed it. Cool...

Cool as a behavioral characteristic refers to individual behavior. Therefore it is egotistical, and the least relevant form of cool. This form of cool has a lot to do with mainstream behavior, and is actually not very cool at all compared to cool as a state of being. In short what it means is that an individual copies the behavior of others in order to 'fit in'. There isn't anything original about it, therefore it is just cool.

Cool as aesthetic appeal is more relevant because someone was original enough to start a cool trend. An artists or intellectual started a cool trend which became something that became socially acceptable as cool. In other words everyone that falls into the first category of cool is trying to copy it. But of course as soon as it is copied, it isn't really cool anymore because then it's not original anymore. It would seem that this level of cool is the ultimate. What could be cooler than being the originator of cool? Still, this level of coolness has it's limitations. Starting a single trend of cool is not the same as being the embodiment of cool. Therefore it is cooler.

Finally we get to cool as a state of being, which is the ultimate in cool. Individuals who dwell in this illusive state are the embodiment of cool. They are coolness itself. Their very existence is cool. This state of coolness refers to a state of being where an individual has an unshakable calm within. Nothing in existence can disturb this cool. In religious terms they are Zen. To be in their very presence is a blessing, because their coolness is infectious. You can't help but be drawn to these people; their aura's are magnetic. Moreover, these people don't just start cool trends, they are cool trends themselves. Therefore they are SUPER COOL.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_(aesthetic)

'Hip to be Square' is a song by Huey Lewis and the News, which refers to being cool by being uncool. It presupposes that not caring about being cool makes you cool, but this is not necessarily the case. Super cool people do not care about being cool, they just are. This is because as soon as you try to be cool, you have lost your coolness. In it's purest form cool is a state of being, not a state of mind or a physical state. But this state of being is very different from someone who claims they do not care about being cool.

These people are not cool just because they say they don't care about being cool. In fact they are the farthest thing from cool, because you have to try to be cool first before you can actually be cool. That seems like a contradiction, but it is not. It is a dichotomy. In order to be super cool you first have to go through the intermediate stages. There are no short cuts, although exceptions to the rule is possible.

Here are some people who embodies coolness. These people are not necessarily the main stream definition of cool, but as I said before, super cool is more then just being main stream cool. 

Muhammad Ali embodied coolness. He was not only the greatest boxer in history, but his rhymes and way with words is the stuff of legend. He went through difficult times in his boxing career where his fights went beyond the boxing ring, into the realm of politics. At one point he was stripped of his heavyweight title, lost his boxing license, and was arrested for refusing to go to war for the USA. He also faced 5 years in prison, and after being found guilty, the case went to the supreme court where it was eventually dropped. His most famous fight was probably the one called Rumble in the Jungle, where he fought George Foreman in Zaire.

Foreman was the heavy favorite to win the fight, and was much stronger than Ali. Ali used a strategy called rope-a-dope, where he was leaning against the ropes and absorbing Foreman's punches, while talking trash to make Foreman angry. After seven rounds and hundreds of punches from Foreman, he was exhausted, and Ali dropped him with a lethal combination in center ring. Foreman failed to make the count and Ali showed remarkable inner clam as he regained the heavyweight title in epic fashion. There is no doubt that Muhammad Ali is super cool.

I am a big tennis fan and in particular a Roger Federer fan. I even have a blog about him. In 2009 Federer won the calender slam when he won the French Open, which means he won each of the four grand slam events in tennis at least once during his career, something very view players have been able to achieve. But he has also achieved something no other player has achieved, which is to win 16 grand slam titles - the most important record in tennis history. He broke that record last year when he won the most important tournament in tennis, Wimbledon, for the sixth time.

He showed remarkable calm and composure during his French Open victory. When the overwhelming favorite, Rafael Nadal, was upset in the fourth round, the pressure on Federer was suddenly immense. He knew he would maybe never get another chance to win the one grand slam which has always alluded him, and if he did not it would leave a gaping hole in his legacy. For Federer it has always been about the quest for perfection, and failure to win the French Open would ruin that quest. In the fourth round it was clear that the pressure was immense on Federer, and he went down two sets to love against his opponent.

At one point in the third set he was staring defeat in the face, as he was one point away from virtually being knocked out of the tournament. However, in super cool fashion he hit a difficult forehand winner under immense pressure, and went on to win the match in five sets. Federer faced many more similar situations during that tournament, although that was the most difficult. Federer eventually won the title in epic fashion, and afterwards were called the greatest of all time(GOAT) by many an expert. In his very next tournament at Wimbledon he would also go on to break the grand slam record in front of a host of tennis legends who showed up just for the occasion.

That in itself was huge pressure, and in another epic battle Federer beat Andy Roddick 16-14 in the fifth set in the longest Wimbledon final ever. And all of this happened after Federer was written off by many earlier in 2009, after having a dismal 2008 by his own high standards. Aside from tennis, Federer is just a very cool person. He seems to really be in control. Everything about him seems perfect. Where other global sport stars like Tiger Woods and Thierry Henry get involved in scandals, Federer remains squeaky clean and cool. He is the perfect role model in a time when there is hardly such a thing.

Therefore he is super cool in my book.

Bono, real name Paul Hewson, is the lead singer of the legendary rock group U2. U2 is one of the coolest bands of all time, and that automatically makes Bono super cool, who is driving force behind the band. Bono is the ultimate showman and the definition of popular culture cool. His on stage performances is the stuff of legend. In earlier days Bono was perceived as something like a Messiah figure, after which he created alter egos such as The Fly and Mr. MacPhisto. The Fly was the guy with the dark sunglasses and Mr. MacPhisto was a depiction of the Devil as a tired old pop star.

These kind of stunts on stage gave Bono the reputation of being one of the greatest performers of all time, while it created legions of fans. U2 was regularly performing for crowds of more than 100 000 people, and Bono thrived in the spotlight. With him on stage there is never a dull moment. He has a cool aura that captivates and hypnotize the crowd. It is as if they are under his spell during live shows. But aside from being the ultimate performer, he is also one of the most well known philanthropists in the world. He has somehow managed to balance being a rock star with being a humanitarian, which isn't easy to do.

Bono has received several awards for his humanitarian work, including being named person of the year along with Bill and Melinda Gates by Time magazine in 2005. He has also met with several influential political figures, including former US president George Bush. Bono clearly has more than just aesthetic appeal, and is therefore super cool.

Like Bono, Sascha Baron Cohen has had several alter egos, including Ali G, Borat and Bruno. One of his earliest alter egos was Ali G, who is one super cool dude. Borat on the other hand is the opposite of cool, while Bruno is the gay fashion show presenter. Someone who can play a super cool dude, a totally uncool Kazakhstani, and a gay fashion show presenter equally well, must be pretty cool in my book. He plays all of these characters with utter conviction as well. As Ali G he has his own show, and he also interviews several famous people and politicians. In these interviews the the person that is interviewed is not aware that Ali G is a made up character, which makes it extra funny.

But Sascha Baron Cohen is an extremely intelligent individual with a wicked sense of humor, which makes these interviews hugely entertaining. He has also done several movies, including Ali G Indahouse, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, and Bruno. Sascha Baron Cohen is not just a great comedian and actor, he also has a way of making people take off their social masks, and exposing them for what they are. He deals with social issues such as racism, prejudice and perceived superiority in a unique way which expose people for who they are, but in a funny way.

It's hard to explain why Sascha Baron Cohen is cool, but if you watch the video I posted you will get a pretty good idea. In the video he interviews the soccer star David Beckham, someone who legions of people think are super cool, but he makes him look like a chump. Enough said.

Many people may be surprised by this choice of mine, but there is no doubt that Deepak Chopra is super cool. Deepak Chopra is a physician, writer, and public speaker. I like to think of him as a spiritual guru who has an uncanny ability to explain God in a way that makes sense. Chopra has received criticism from skeptics and scientists alike for the way he uses quantum physics to explain the unexplainable, yet it hasn't deterred him on his quest to make God accessible for everyone. It takes a pretty cool individual to even attempt to explain God, and an even cooler one to do it with success.

All people who has done great things and made great discoveries has always been ridiculed and rejected by mankind, and Chopra is no exception. For instance, when Copernicus discovered that the earth revolved around the sun and not vice versa, he was accused of being a heretic. Before a paradigm shift can occur there will always be those who fanatically cling to the old paradigm. It takes an extremely cool person to cause a paradigm shift, or help cause it. These people need an inner calm that can't be disturbed, because it is inevitable that they will we judged and persecuted for their opinions.

Deepak Chopra is one of these people. He has written several ground breaking books about discovering your true potential that has spent several weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. He has also received awards for being a motivational speaker, and has taken on such issues as life after death in his books. No issue is too challenging for him to take on, no matter how much opposition he may receive. He is fearless in his pursuit of the truth, and he is a very intelligent and witty intellectual. He is certainly super cool.

Lady Gaga is without a doubt very cool. She is the embodiment of originality. She used to be made fun of by her peers as a kid for being to eccentric, but held onto her dream to become a pop star, and today she is a full blown pop phenomenon. Lady Gaga as phenomenal stage presence. There is something about her that draws people towards her. Aside from being a terrific performer, Lady Gaga is totally dedicated to her fans, which she calls her 'little monsters'. As a bisexual herself, she has also been an inspiration to the gay community, and her main message is to love and be comfortable with yourself. 

I am a huge fan of Lady Gaga, because she is so fresh and she is such a genuine person. I can't help but love her. Lady Gaga is a unique performer and an inspiration to many, therefore she is super cool.

In spirituality existence comes in three forms; body, mind, and soul. Or father, son, and holy ghost in religious terms. Or in terms of time there is past, present and future. The three states of being in spirituality is the equivalent of cool, cooler, and super cool for the purposes of this website.

It's easy to make the body look cool. You get a few tattoos, get some body piercing done, wear some cool clothes, and get into good shape, which makes you cool on the physical level. So in terms of physicality anyone can pretty much be cool. Cool on the physical level is thus the most superficial level of cool.

In terms of the mind, it is a bit harder to be cool. While everyone can have a cool body, having a cool mind is a bit more illusive. It entails saying and doing cool things. Words and deeds originate in the mind, therefore you need a cool mind in order to speak and act in a cool fashion. This is not something you can just decide to have, it takes a certain amount of practice.

Finally, to be cool on the soul level is to be the ultimate in cool. This level of cool is also accessible to all, whereas the previous 2 levels of cool may not be. The soul by it's very nature is cool. If you live from your soul, you can't help but to be cool. When you live from the soul, your mind is actually quiet. You only use your mind for practical purposes. The mind is only secondary because when you live from the soul you always make the perfect response in every situation. There is no need to calculate, analize, or judge. You are at one with the present moment and there is no regret over the past or fear for the future. This has also been referred to as enlightenment, spiritual awakening, or nirvana in spiritual terms.

Above I listed some cool people, but of course there are many more, including people who are not considered cool by mainstream society. People like Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Michael Jordan, Malcolm X, Will Smith...do I notice a trend? It is no coincidence that so many black people are cool, since cool is thought to have originated in Africa. Black Jazz musicians also played a big part in making cool the global phenomenon that it is today. Cool is a universal language. It transcends cultural, racial, and language barriers. It is thought that cool has existed for centuries, and since it came from Africa where mankind originated, it is possible that cool has always been part of human existence. It is also no coincidence that cool has outlived its synonyms like 'radical', 'wicked', 'hip', etc, and it will keep doing so.

Well I hope you enjoyed my take on cool. I did consult one source, but I wrote most of this out of my own head, in the true spirit of cool. Cool is all about creativity and originality. Don't ever think you have to copy others to be cool. Take pride in being different, because being different and unique is the only prerequisite for being cool.

Stay cool...