Dreams Do Come True!

Have you ever dreamed of meeting one of your heroes? If so, let me confirm that all dreams can come true. And yesterday I made one of my dreams come true by meeting my intellectual hero - Monsieur Bernard Henri Levy.

Bernard Henri Levy

The first documentary I ever saw with Bernard Henri Levy (above) was in a philosophy course at NYU wherein they referred to BHL as the Mick Jagger of Philosophy

For those of you who are not familiar with Mr. Bernard Henri Levy (BHL as the French call him) possesses one of the greatest and forward thinking minds of our times. This man has single-handedly inspired and motivated people across the globe for many decades and yesterday, yours truly had the special pleasure of meeting with him one-on-one to discuss the crisis in Darfur.

But first let’s back track. A few months ago, I attended a forum hosted by the Pen American Center and moderated by Dinaw Mengestu, with guest speakers BHL and Mia Farrow. While I absolutely adore Mia Farrow for all the hard work and passion she brings with spotlighting the atrocities taking place in Darfur, on this evening it was clear our collective hearts had finally been seamlessly joined and enriched by the brain and wisdom of Bernard Henri Levy.

On this particular evening I was also very fortunate that one of my closest friends, Jacques (my favorite Frenchman on the planet) and his wife (Camille) had also been invited to attend the forum and were quite friendly with Bernard Henri Levy. Therefore they were more than willing to introduce me to Bernard despite the throng of admirers vying for BHL’s attention. I will not even begin to discuss BHL’s sophistication, charisma nor chic as this will be revisited during a much lighter and fluffier post (just know he is married to the French seductress/actress Arielle Dombasle and has recently been romantically linked by slanderous gossip mongers to his friend fashion icon, Daphne Guinness). So of course this brief and congenial introduction to BHL was not enough to fill the appetite of yours truly… Therefore, from that night forward I have been hell bent on attempting to schedule a one-on-one meeting/Darfur brainstorming session with the incredible Bernard Henri Levy.

Daphne Guinness, BHL and Arielle Dombasle

This is where it get’s good… Instead of pestering my dear friends about making a formal “social introduction” I decided to take the bull by the horns and go my own special Web 2.0 route.

(Side bar: Often the introduction process of the French as well as the wealthy 2% can be a bit too formal and lengthy for a fashion brute like yours truly. I desperately wanted to meet and learn from Mr. Levy, but it had to be on my own terms and in my own uniform. This is a lesson learned from Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman – just think Julia all dolled up at the polo match and the pervy little guy played by J. Alexander from Seinfeld insulting her anyway...) But I digress...

So without any further adieu, I set out on my 2.0 quest. To make a long story short, after about forty Google searches, approximately twenty Hail Mary international emails, nearly thirteen Skype cold calls and three call backs from high powered publicists and one gossip columnist (longer story), yesterday’s meeting at the Carlyle Hotel with the elusive Monsieur BHL was finally realized.

There we sat at this magnificently reserved table at the Carlyle (during the height of ladies that lunch), he in his infamous uniform (usually a dark jacket with an undone white shirt – but for this occasion there was an absence of any sort of shirt, just a buttoned jacket with a turned up lapel – too rebelious and too chic for words) and I dressed in my fatigues white t-shirt and cap (a true fashion warrior). As we sat and discussed Darfur, world politics, the fashion industry, our different backgrounds and most importantly, our common humanity – I almost found myself fighting back the tears.

It was in that moment, in the beautiful Carlyle hotel that I became flooded with long ago memories of wrangling invitations to see Eartha Kitt and/or Bobby Short performances under the guise that this special place symbolized or housed everything I thought fortune and fame could bring. As I sat there now completely evolved and transcended, yet thoroughly enamored by the intelligence and thoughtful planning of BHL, I realized how gleefully divorced I had become from celebrity, money or status worship and proudly remarried to purpose, passion and journey.

In conclusion, for anyone out there that still believes we are not connected in a real way (made intangible and tangible by the internet) – let the above be a lesson. In this new modern world, you can meet almost anyone you want as long as your intentions are pure, passionate and purposeful. No one of any importance wants to meet a mindless pseudo-stalker or adoring fan – but who most people do want to meet are people that are "genuinely" motivated and engaged in helping and inspiring others. After yesterday’s meeting with BHL, I am more than convinced that collectively, creatively and intellectually – we can all help to change the world. But first you must dream it…

BHL on the Charlie Rose Show discussing his book “American Vertigo”