I really enjoy watching and playing sports. When I play hockey and baseball I feel
acutely in the moment, and a great sense of power over my body. Playing sports in general releases an
endorphin rush that allows me to forget about any problem or negative emotion I
am experiencing on any given day. I also
enjoy watching sports because it is entertaining to see the most talented
players in the world perform at the highest levels of competition.
However, I am fed up with the tribalism that surrounds
professional sports. For most of my life
I have been caught up in this cultural trap, and have been recently weaning
myself off the addiction. The degree to
which people invest their emotional efforts towards the achievements of others,
of whom they have no control over, is truly astounding. No, your team is not more virtuous because
they are closer geographically to you.
It is truly tragic how most people choose to talk about sports
and the empty trivia surrounding it over topics of depth, intelligence,
substance, and real-world application.
Every day we have a choice to truly exist, or simply be dragged along
with the currents of history, drowning us in emptiness. Sadly, non-existence is the default position
for most people.
On our deathbed, we will not care how many times our favorite
sports team won in an endless continuum of games. It will be of no consequence who won the
batting title last year, or who scored the most goals.
What will matter is the people who we care most about, and the
difference we make in the world. What
will matter is how many times we choose to exist, and truly be who we are. Let us exist as full human beings, and not
delegate our happiness to the vicarious achievements of poster boys for statism
and culture.
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