Many people nodded.
"Congratulations," he said, smiling. "You've all passed physics for idiots one-oh-one. But now answer this question for me. Privately. Honestly. As honest as you can be with yourself." He paused and leaned forward, as if putting the question to each member of the audience individually. "Do you feel connected to that energy?"
The audience was silent. He had them thinking. He waited nearly half a minute, then said, "Perhaps some of you think you are. But do you feel so connected that if you left this earth today, it would carry you to the next level? The level beyond human?"
He waited again. The silence was palpable.
"I see some doubtful faces." He smiled again at the old couple up front. "Look at Bob, everyone. He's got that look on his face again. 'Ethyl, get your coat. The guy's off his rocker.'"
Blechman smiled. Others smiled with him. Then he turned serious. "But am I? In this universe, how does something get from one place to another? How does one thing become another?"
The question lingered. "Energy, right? All living things have energy. In casual conversation, you've heard people say they can feel your vibes. Or they might say, he or she is giving me bad vibes. The Beach Boys even wrote a song about it. Well, there's something to that, folks. Each one of us is constantly vibrating with energy. We vibrate at different levels, depending on how connected we are to the source of that energy. A proper connection to the source, ladies and gentlemen, is vital to our ability to transcend our humanness, to move up to the next level."
He returned to the podium and sipped water from a glass. To Andie, even his drinking seemed calculated, designed to make the audience thirst for his next word.
"Many things can break our connection with the source. Temptation. Greed. All of the worldly possessions that delude us into thinking that being human is the ultimate form of existence. That self-absorbed outlook is what keeps us vibrating at a human level, a lower level of energy."
A few people lowered their eyes, seemingly embarrassed, as if he had touched a nerve. He softened his tone. He was no longer judgmental.
"But perhaps the most important point for you to understand is that you don't have to be a bad person to be disconnected from the source. Strangely enough, the most kind and giving people are often the most disconnected. Why? Because the most dangerous break between humans and the source is caused by people we allow to rule our lives, dictate our emotions, and literally suck the energy right out of us. People who profess to love us but are only parasites."
All eyes followed as he walked from one end of the room to the other, then back to the podium. "So, I return to my original question. Are you so connected to the source of energy in this vast universe that if you left this earth today you would transcend to the next level, the level beyond human?" He looked again toward the audience, locking eyes with each member. "I can tell you this. If you cling to the things that define you as a human. If you pander to others who enslave you as human. If there is anything or anyone on this planet you could not bear to leave behind. Then you are not so connected."
He was looking right at Andie, or so it seemed. She forced herself not to flinch and was glad he moved on to someone more enthralled.
"What does all this mean?" he asked in a voice that was hushed for effect. "It means you must prepare yourself for the long and difficult road ahead. The good news, folks, is that each and every one of you has the power to succeed.
Just go back to the source. You can do it. I know you can."
He smiled warmly, not overdoing it. "Now I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. Two people who, not long ago, were sitting in the audience like you are tonight. Two people whose lives have been transformed. They can help you understand what this journey is all about. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to Tom and Felicia."
The audience applauded. Andie applauded, then froze. Felicia was the woman who had been kicked out of the thrift store.
They looked like two very normal people. He wore jeans and a flannel shirt; she wore slacks and a sweater. They weren't great public speakers, but they talked intelligently, honestly. The man spoke first, then Felicia. She was particularly interesting. Earlier, Andie had been right on the money when she'd guessed the woman was out of place in a thrift store. It was no surprise she walked with polish. Felicia was a college graduate. She had run her own travel agency for nine years. She had been married to an architect who lived in Seattle. She hadn't been unhappy. Just disconnected. She gave it all up for one simple reason.
"Steve Blechman changed my life."
"No, no," said Blechman. "You changed your life."