Damus Nuestro flipped a coin 107 times and managed to land tails 107 times in a row. Due to the unfathomable implications of the 108th flip landing tails, the world holds its breath this evening in anticipation of the outcome of this final flip.
Masses take heed of the moment, and 114,000 people pay or are awarded the 1 million Euros ticket to the event at Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, in North Korea. Many religious leaders, including the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Mosque, sit in the front row. They wonder what the divine implications will be for a person to accomplish the impossible feat. Theoretical physicist Steven Veinberg nudges fellow physicist Roger Renrose to compare how they would rewrite the Bernoulli Trials based on the outcome.
The largest stadium in the world quiets, and everyone stands when the bearded, barefoot Damus enters the arena wearing a red robe. Jewish payots, a wooden cross necklace, and more religious symbols, as always, confound many of the people watching him. When Damus reaches the center of the arena, his eyes meet the gaze of Jenna Kim, his host, the biggest social media personality in the world. He smiles warmly. She beams back an almost perfect row of teeth and steps closer to him.
“Please sit, Damus, and tell us how you're doing,” Jenna walks him to his chair. “Besides my butterflies and social anxiety, I’m doing just fine.” He moves the chair aside, sits on the floor in the lotus position, and looks up at her. “Ah, what the heck, let me join you down there. I want to be at arm's length in case you need an emergency hug,” she says. He chuckles, “I might.”
"Can we talk about your garb?" Jenna asks. Damus nods. "Please explain." "Religions spent millennia practicing lucidity and serenity. Techniques for strengthening bodies and community are also valued by many. My attire reminds me of those lessons." "Makes sense."
“Damus, today's a big day for many people. Prior to you, the coin-flipping record set by Billy Morgan was 8. You broke the matrix on that effort so cataclysmically that it's given many of us hope that humans can achieve supernatural undertakings.” Jenna smiles and looks up at the stands. The crowd roars and slowly returns to silence. “Let’s not forget the 7.9 billion people streaming,” she says. "Let's also not forget to stay grounded, Jenna," Damus shakes his head. "Fine...for now," she grins.
“Okay, I'm gonna be good and move on. There are many theories about why you are stopping at 108. The mystery is fueling imagination and expectations. Hell, 9 would be a world record, and even 50 makes me look like an amoeba next to you, so why 108? Let me guess, is it because of the 108 ways of Karma influx in Jainism, or is it 108’s relationship to the divine proportion? Neither of which I have a clue about. Just reading my notes here,” she covers her face.
Damus holds a necklace with 108 wooden prayer beads and says, “Yes and yes. It’s an important number to many people. There are also 108 pressure points in the body. The distance between the Earth and the Moon is also about 108 times the diameter of the Moon. The list of reasons for 108 are many. But for me, ultimately, it's that in Vedic cosmology, the oldest in the world, 108 is the basis of creation; it represents the universe and all that is. Stopping at 108 is a show of deference to this number." "Smart decision," she says.
"While I can sit here and chit-chat with you all day about crowd size, ticket prices, your inimitable fashion, and everything else, what people really care about is you and what got you here. Please share with us how it all started,” says the host.
“Thanks to wise loved ones, I’ve spent my life seeking perfect fulfillment.” Jenna claps, “Nothing lives in a vacuum.” “I ended a six-month prayer at the crater of Volcan Telica in Nicaragua last month, in search of my purpose. I fasted and remained awake in prayer for days on end. But my progress remained unchanged.”
"I dropped my guard, and desolation overwhelmed me. In a trice of desperation, I looked down from the crust's edge and contemplated whether I should allow myself to surrender and fall in.” Damus's voice cracks. He lowers his gaze. “You’d given up,” she says. The audience gasps. Damus nods. "Suddenly I became repulsed by an ever-present volcanic stench resembling rotten eggs and burnt matches.
“Today is monumental. You’ve given the world hope that humans can achieve miracles.” Jenna smiles and looks up at the stands. The crowd claps and returns to silence. “Let’s not forget the 7.9 billion people streaming globally,” she says. Damus nods.
"While I can sit here and chit-chat with you all day about crowd size, ticket prices, and your indelible fashion, what people here really care about is you and what got you here, the coin toss. Please share with us how it all started,” says the host.
“Thanks to shrewd loved ones, I’ve spent my life on this journey to fulfillment.” “Nothing happens in a vacuum,” Jenna flashes a thumbs up. “I ended a six-month-long prayer at the crater of Volcan Telica in Nicaragua last month. But at the end of that reflection, I felt empty.”
"I dropped my guard, and desolation crushed me. I looked down from the crust's edge and contemplated whether I should continue my path to fulfillment or allow myself to fall into the crater.” Damus's voice cracks. He stops speaking and lowers his gaze.
“You’d given up.” The audience gasps. Damus nods, "While looking down at the molten rock, a flat circle glimmered in the ash beside my feet. I picked it up. In my hand lay a silver cordoba from 1912. The beveled words, En Dios Confiamos struck me."
"Interesting, I also read 'In God We Trust' hundreds of times at the Silver Dollar slots in Vegas in the 90s. Yet, never won more than the $50 in gas it cost me to drive home. But tickets for today are insane. So don’t let my addiction story stop you. And then?" Jenna asks.
"...I decided to leave my fate up to The Creator and flipped the coin. If tails faced up, I’d take it as a sign that my work on Earth wasn’t done. When I tossed the cordoba, it landed tails. The word Dios glimmered back at me, so I made my way back to town."
A man named Jorge, who happened to see everything, stopped to offer me water and to confirm I was okay. After hearing my story, he asked if I could flip for him to decide a private matter he had with his wife. Dios glimmered again. He hugged me and ran off to town.”
“Sorry to interrupt, but Bidcoin, our sponsor, prepared a fun video to commemorate today.” The Jumbotrons beam an image of the Bidcoin logo followed by the words “History of Flipping.” The video shows how coin flipping as we know it was first recorded in Roman times.
The film highlights epic coin tosses such as the flip for eventual Triple Crown winner Secretariat. Gymnast Nadia Comanichi was praised for being the first human to perform a perfect flip. The video ends with a cat flipping to a tune by Daft Punk.
“Please carry on,” says Jenna.
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