The Important Things in Life

It's mid July, which means that the summer is halfway over. So in light of the impending doom that is the beginning of another school year, I thought I would write about the important sports events that have occurred so far this summer.

By far the biggest story of the summer is the World Cup. It's the biggest sporting event in the world, and I felt that there was more American pride for our team this year than in years past. Much of this can be attributed to the fact that the USA finally has the figurehead needed for a sport to become popular - Landon Donovan. He not only scored the most important goal(s) for our national team in the tournament, but he became a rallying point for fans across this great country. When scorers like Ronaldo, Messi, and Rooney were transparent on the pitch, Donovan demonstrated that a new era of soccer has begun in the USA and the world needs to start recognizing the talent that we have in the states.

Another huge story, which is close to my heart, was the return of Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods to his professional golf career. After being put in the mud and having his reputation destroyed by anyone with the privilege to be published, Tiger walked back to the game that he loves, and the game that we love him for. With two T-4 finishes at the Masters and the US Open, Tiger is now poised to end his longest career drought to start a season. At 4:09am EST tomorrow morning, Tiger will tee off to start his 2010 Open Championship. This year is played at St. Andrews, the home of golf, and a course that Tiger has won at the only two times The Open has been played there during his professional career. A story contained within this one is the fact that he has switched putters for the first time in 12 years, Tiger isn't using his Scotty Cameron 2 putter. He is making a switch to the Nike Method, which takes its form from the Cameron 2. Woods said earlier this week that the change is only to make the ball roll faster on St. Andrew's slower greens. Who knows how this will effect is putting, which has been known to be abysmal on slow greens. I will make a few bold and some not so bold predictions: Tiger will contend on Sunday, that is, have a chance to win it. He will show the media, the fans, and the world that Tiger is back. Also, look out for Lee Westwood, Ernie Els, and Rory McIlroy. Also, as a dark horse, Martin Kaymer has looked quite impressive this year.

LeBron James has been the other huge story of the summer. He left his native Cleveland/Akron in order to play with Dwayne Wade and GT alum Chris Bosh in South Beach. He is catching so much 'heat' for doing this, but is it necessary? As a Celtics fan, I can't complain about three stars taking less money to play with each other and to try to win championships. However, when the original Big Three came together, there was no 1-hour special on ESPN to announce 'The Big Ticket' and Ray Allen coming to Boston. He did it in the wrong way, but I can't be upset at him. All that I can do is hope that the original Big Three or even the Lakers (who I dislike as much as the Yankees) can keep Miami from buying a championship.

In smaller news, George "The Boss" Steinbrenner died on the 13 of July. As much as I hate the Yankees, I have to respect the man that shaped them into the organization that they are today. He made the free agency frenzy what it is today, and without him the summer of LeBron would not have happened, for better or for worse. His top goal was winning, and he wasn't afraid to step on toes in order to accomplish it. He hired and fired Billy Martin 5 times, and Lou Piniella twice. This cutthroat nature can be looked at in many lights, but regardless, it has to be looked at with respect. To the man that won more World Series titles in the past 23 years (7), and the longest tenured owner in the business, we will miss you, but your legacy will continue to impact every sports organization in the world.

Also, Big Papi won the Home Run Derby. Watching this, I wonder what the best strategy for winning is. In past years, sluggers have tired out after hitting innumerous amounts of homeruns in the early rounds. Ortiz squeaked into the second round, and stayed consistent - unlike the Josh Hamiltons of years past. Maybe this is the best idea for those looking to win it, not necessarily put up huge numbers in the first round.

The National League finally got lucky and won the All-Star Game and thereby home field advantage in the World Series. Props to hometown boy Brian McCann for garnering MVP honors and having the only clutch hit in the game - but this is appropriate since it has been the year of the pitcher. This topic has been written about so frequently that I won't delve into it.

Also, in NCAA basketball news, there will be a First Four round due to the expansion of the field to 68. I think this is a good idea, but I don't like how TruTV has gotten the rights to show the opening rounds, which has been taken away from ESPN. We will see if that will last.

Speaking of basketball, John Wall was drafted first, which everyone saw from a mile away. I don't know how good of a player he will be this upcoming year, but he will eventually be an All-Star. All I know is that I can always appreciate him for popularizing the now called 'John Wall Dance.'

Finally, tonight is the night of the ESPYS. And as I've done in the last few years during this time, I have re-watched the speech given by Jimmy Valvano in 1993. If you haven't seen it, then watch it here:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3118760&categoryid=2378529

And remember, don't give up, don't ever give up.

The Meaning of Life

A few nights ago, I got into a late-night conversation with a very good, scratch that, great friend. We discussed paranormal activity, which led into the topic of the afterlife. I then brought up how I had previously said that I detest the institution of religion, and the hypocrisy that comes along with it. Of course, this conversation continued along this line until we reached the idea of the omni-significance of the Bible - meaning that every word in the Bible has a purpose and was intentional.

I tend to believe that the Bible is not meant to be taken literally, and that since it is simply a compilation of books written by sinful men - it cannot be perfect. Many people disagree with this, regardless of religion, albeit Christian, Judaism, or Islam (since all three have a basis in the Torah). I believe that the stories in the Bible are didactic, but not necessarily true. Did Jonah get swallowed by a whale? Probably not, but through this story, children learn the power of the God of Moses - and the fact that all is possible through Him.

This point of view offends many, especially fundamentalists, but I hold it to be true and more logical. If Jonah wasn't really swallowed by a whale, does it change the fact that Jesus died for our sins? No. Does it change the fact that "by grace [we] have been saved, through faith - and this not from [ourselves], it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)?" No.

And as usually occurs whilst discussing religion, the question of the meaning of life arose. This is something with which I have many personal problems, including tons of angst and perplexity. Much of my confusion is due to my scientific nature, and my (however brief) study of Astro-Physics. How does one know that we aren't simply living on a rock, with no purpose, and no real future after death? Is God really up there (or whatever direction)? I can't help but think of the fact that the Earth is a planet, revolving an M-dwarf star, the perfect distance for water the be in its liquid state (don't get me started on the importance of this) . This combination hasn't been found to occur anywhere in the astronomic neighborhood [but have hope for the Kepler mission!] and so as of now it looks like Earth has the only life in the universe. However, not all life has reason. Does it matter to a protozoa whether there is heaven or hell, or if God exists? But then again, since we are such a miraculous oddity, how could it have ever happen without divine powers interacting? How can something so disgusting and annoying as a common house fly be so complexly designed and intricately created without a higher being?

I brought this up to my friend, and she responded that the point of life is to find love and friendship. I agreed and we let the conversation continue to evolve like it had been the entire night. However, on my way home from visiting the friend, I thought about our conversations. And since hindsight is 20-20, I now recognize the ephemeral moment of clarity born out of my friend's simple answer.

Love. Its that simple. Connecting to people in intimate relationships, knowing someone so well that you finish each other's sentences, or being so knowledgeable about another person that you are an unstoppable Taboo and Charades team. And I'm not talking about erotic love, more of the philos and agape type, which are brotherly and godly/unconditional love, respectively. Whether or not God exists, or if religion is simply a construction of those in power to be an opiate for the masses, love and friendship are significant. One should attempt to connect with another, to be in tune with someone else's soul and being. I believe that if you can truly understand and love another human, then no matter what religion you follow or refute, there is goodness in your heart - and I can't picture any type of religion that would punish you in the afterlife for that.

Granted, there will be naysayers who think, "What if you love your wife, but you are a serial killer?" To this type of question I respond that if you truly have love from a relationship so intimate and personal that you have pureness of heart, then there is no way that you could be a serial killer.

This relationship - the love, the friendship - can be with anyone, including the Lord, if that is what you choose. It can be with a close friend, with a spouse, or with a child; regardless of the recipient of your love - if we remember that our purpose on this planet is the befriend all others, then whatever is in store for us in the future will be taken care of.

So that is what I'm doing from now on - trying to connect with others, to be a person with so much love in my life that my heart overflows.

How do I do this? I have absolutely no idea. Now I am in no position to tell people how to live there life, or what to believe. I am about the furthest away from a religious advisor that one could be, but I will let you know what I plan on doing in order to find this love. I'll live day to day, trying to appreciate the little interactions of the day. Recognize that Galileo was correct when he said "I've never met a man so stupid that I could not learn from him." (He was also right when he wrote, in The Assayer, "Philosophy is written in this grand book, the universe... It is written in the language of mathematics, and its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures." But I digress...) Regardless of how you put love in you life, remember that is everywhere and that no one can love for you, it is something that you have to experience for yourself. There is no way to be certain when pursuing love, so from here there is no specific heading, but I do know that I am going to try one thing though - which is advice from that same great friend. Don't hold onto anything - forgiveness is healthy, holding grudges is not.

So go out and find those select few that will be in your life forever. And remember, great friends are a great start.