I have a crush on Ram Dass, which is weird for many reasons, not the least of them being that he's dead.
And if he wasn't dead, well,.. he would be 90.
Also there's the fact that he was gay. (although that never really stopped me before)
All in all. not really your typical "crush" material.
However, there are so many things that I find "crush-worthy" about him.
I love his story. From an overachieving Jewish kid from Boston named Richard Alpert, to a Tufts, Wesleyan and Standford graduate, to a Harvard Psychology Professor, Timothy Leary cohort and psychedelic pioneer, to new-age teacher and best-selling author, to guru, to someone who suffered a stroke and lost the ability to speak, to someone who found ultimate grace in that loss.
But truthfully, while all of that is interesting and impressive, that's not really the basis of my crush. If you look at pictures of him over the years from the time he was baby Dick Alpert through the time of his passing as Baba Ram Dass at age 88, two things were consistent, the glint in his eye and his mischievous smile. He exuded a playfulness. Like he knew a secret...and the secret was, "don't take yourself or all of this bullshit too seriously".
He often spoke about times when he would forget his "non-importance", and how he would catch himself, then detach from "himself" and watch with amusement.
There are a multitude of Ram Dass quotes that inspire me; however, I think the quote that exemplifies his humor, spirit and attitude the best is, " “If you think you are enlightened; go home for Thanksgiving.”
As I was looking up some factual information, I came across the following google query:
"How much was Ram Dass worth?"
It was such an ironic question, that It made me laugh out loud. I'd like to think he would be laughing too.