A Perspective on Sports

My latest podcast was about sports. I had a wonderful time talking sports with my guest. The conversation ended, but my thoughts on the matter did not. I couldn’t help but acknowledge the value sports have in my life. I couldn’t help but acknowledge the value sports have to all of us. Sports teach us about our potential and frailty. The competition in sports exposes each and every one of us in a beautiful way. Brene Brown speaks of the value of vulnerability and how the courage it takes to be vulnerable makes us stronger because it allows our insecurities, and the things we know to be weak about ourselves, the opportunity to grow and become hardened.

Sports tell us about ourselves and about each other. It’s a meritocracy we can observe. Your output is exhibited to the extent of your potential, as it exists in the moment. That output is put against another individual’s output and the war of dominance is waged. The winner achieves the Greek word for victory, “Nike”. The bested individual is left with undeniable feedback of what you need to do to improve as well as the conclusion as to your rightful place. Sports are beautiful, sobering, exacting, and honest all at the same time.

The ancient Greeks created the Olympics to honor the God Zeus. Herakles established the “Olympic” games in Olympia to honor Zeus. Zeus defeated Cronus for the throne of the Gods. Zeus also helped Herakles defeat Elis when Herakles battled Augeas. The games took place at the same interval as they do today. Every four years between 776BCE to 393CE.

Keep in mind, this was essentially a festival to honor the Gods. That’s a relevant detail because the Gods were all powerful. Their potential was arguably limitless. That’s what it means to be a God. Perhaps that’s where we get our first observance of the importance, value, and miraculous-ness of sports. Odell Beckham Jr. is best known for his ability to leap into the sky, and with a full bodily extension, stretch one arm out to catch a leather ball traveling at 40-plus miles per hour. Why is that amazing? It’s a feat of human capability that is unique. It’s an extension of what we previously believed to be possible by a wide receiver.

The increased potential that we see from athletes reminds us of our own full potential that exists in all of us. The spectacle of these men and women who have pushed their bodies to the extreme limits of potential, while competing against equally amazingly talented men and women, is nothing short of miraculous. Greek scholars hyperbolically tout that humans were the playthings of the Gods. Certainly much of Greek theology would support that claim. Perhaps the Gods bearing witness to these festivals are honored by their sacrifice they must make to be the incredible demigods of human potential they were. Perhaps we’re proud of the same thing. We get to bear witness to potential; to human potential; to our own human potential.

Sports are a metaphor for battle. Two groups with a goal of overpowering and out performing each other don colors and wares that signify their sides and allegiance. They train. They strategize. They organize a battle plan designed to overtake their foe. During the event, a hero emerges. The fringe, rare performance of a single individual leverages a marginal advance which turns the tide of the conflict—securing a future in favor of his/her allegiance.

Humans are contemptuous animals. We have the capability in all of us to exhibit malevolence. The early 20th century has many examples of that, and history is ripe with other examples. There is also no limit to the compassion and benevolence we can bestow to one another. In our competitive nature we’re emboldened to contend with each other. We benefit from this. Our constant grind against each other can manifest sharpness in each other. Like diamonds sharpening diamonds, we contend with each other to hone ourselves.

In sports we learn the extent of our abilities. Where we believe we’re the best we could be, we still run the risk of losing. And when we do, we learn our existing potential, while elite, is not the best. We learn it isn’t the best, but we also get to witness that the best is still possible. Because the best is human and, so am I. Prior to 1954 the 4 minute mile was believed to be the pinnacle of human performance. Scientists and doctors believed the 4 minute mile could never be broken by a human being. In 1954 Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile! In the years that followed, thousands—perhaps millions—can break the 4 minute mile. Even high school kids have achieved this milestone. Sports heroes, and sports in general, teach us that the only limitations that exist are in our minds.

Necessary for any functional society there are rules and ethics by which to operate. That’s culture. Simon Sinek describes culture and society as, “a group of people with a common set of values and beliefs.” I’d say that’s accurate for the purposes of this discussion. One who violates the law or ethics of a society adorns the scarlet letter. In sports this is especially true. I don’t think there is any worse place to be in this world than the known cheater in a sports competition. When we found out that Lance Armstrong was doping to achieve his goals, it didn’t matter what is philanthropy was. He violated the social contract of sports. Tonya Harding lost all of her ability to compete in ice skating when she coordinated an attack on her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan. Marion Jones was stripped of her three Olympic gold medals after admitting to steroid use. The Astros were caught stealing signs and informing the batters of what pitch was coming to the batter. In 1979 Rosie Ruiz claimed to have won the Boston Marathon. Investigation would show she short-circuited the course to win.

We detest those who violate the rules we hold to be so necessary. For good reason I might add.

Despite all of the cheaters out there, nothing evokes the benevolence of the human spirit than accountability of self in the name of the value of those rules and ethics we hold so highly. In the 1925 U.S. Open, Bobby Jones was setting up for a shot when he saw his ball move. Nobody saw it. But Jones was insistent that his ball move and that he take a stroke for that violation. When he was lauded for his actions he remarked, “You might as well praise me for not robbing banks.” He lost the match by one stroke to Willie Macfarlane.

Society is missing the message in this situation. What Jones did was a symbol of his commitment to the idea that the game he’s playing is bigger than he. What we can learn from sports ethics is that our society is more important than us. We should value one another for our contribution to our society and for our membership of that society. We’re all unique. We’re all different. We’re also all on the same team. As we reshape and rethink our society I hope we aren’t losing the spirit of sportsmanship which binds us.

The Impetus for Podcasting

Hello and welcome everyone. This is the first installment of the Shop and Chivalry Podcast. I am eager to get started, talking to guests, and engaging in intellectually stimulating conversation, but it’s probably both necessary and important to begin with my reasoning for doing a podcast in the first place.

The pursuit of any entertainment medium or exposure seems vain. Then, to seek a concept in that medium that might be—dare I say—intellectual, is fraught with what I assume are contemptuous objections and skepticisms. Why me? What makes me someone who can deliver that level of dialogue? See, I empathize with what might be feelings of contempt through my own fear of doing this podcast. It is a judge over the hill I must climb. Constantly watching my every move and technique as I traverse this hill, I have wanted to climb but have never had the courage. As I journey through, I am hopeful I can deliver worthwhile entertainment while also serving my own desires of engagement. If done properly, we will all mutually benefit.

As host of a podcast, I have a duty to my audience to bring in attentive, interesting, and worthy guests. Thus, first and foremost, this podcast puts the audience at the top of the hierarchy of goals. Put differently, this podcast should serve the listener’s attention above all else. A noble first realization. After all, what is to become of a podcast with a lack of listening base. The listener is the essential element of the speaker. As John Maxwell once said, “he who thanketh he leadeth, yet hath no one following, is simply taking a walk.”

For years, I have been on a quiet path of self-enlightenment. I have studied the works of many great philosophers, leaders, and experts in various fields. As the lifeblood of discovery is knowledge—internal and external—it seemed a sufficient purpose to continue to learn from the giants of knowledge in the course of human history. I read books. I listened to lectures. I focused on understanding current and past issues while struggling with my own lens and perspective on those same issues. It was the Descartian experiment. To unpack what I mean about a Descartian experiment, we engage in the first discussion of philosophy—a careful shout out to 17th century philosopher, Rene Descartes. In Descartes’ First Meditation, he states, “Whatever I have up till now accepted as most true I have acquired either from the senses or through the senses.” The statement is an homage to the experiential nature of living. We gain our knowledge through our experiences. Though this philosophical fork in the road exists adjacent to religious philosophies containing a belief in pre-destination or more agnostic and atheistic ideas of pre-programming. I’m one to lean toward Descartes. Generally, it seems we have some sort of programming in our biology—perhaps programmed into our DNA, but societal norms and knowledge outside of reflex or innate biological functions seems to be learned behavior.

Yet, this is also flawed. What I am describing are first order principles of understanding. First order principles are the foundation of observation and knowledge. First order is the observance and assumption of something that is not or cannot be reduced further. For full clarity, I do not believe first order principles are the end of any observation, rather they are a means towards actual understanding. Further deduction may not be possible at the present, but that merely highlights a limitation in the ability to reduce/deduce or the knowledge of how to reduce further, in my opinion.

Back to Descartes.

Descartes’ life work was dedicated to a new understanding of mathematics, physics, and metaphysics. He wanted to redefine the world we exist in. Not change the world, but rather view the world with a different lens—a different perspective. Another great quote is due here, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” He wished to change the fundamental elements of Aristotelian nature. To change the fundamental elements that make everything, he could redefine everything. The question to ask is why? Simply put, he grew away from the foundations of metaphysics which bound the world. He began to unpack his own understanding of the world. The norms, the biases, the conceptions, and understandings he had—he sought to prove them as fact or forget them as trivial or incongruous with acceptable truth and knowledge. A famous metaphor for this is the basket of apples allegory. If a basket of apples contains a rotten apple, each apple must be removed and carefully inspected to reveal the source of the rot. Rotten apples would be tossed away because the rot can spread easily. Healthy Apples are kept. The ideas we have are the apples. A rotten perspective, idea, understanding, or what we consider to be knowledge can spread, virally, through our cognition and produce perspectives which can taint our objective view of the world, as well as our understanding. The culmination of this exercise by Descarte was manifested in the second volume of Meditations—not to be confused with the Marcus Aurelius book of meditations. The most famous line of Descartes’ basis of understanding is a brief, but deep phrase:

            “Cogito, ergo sum”, meaning “I think therefore I am”

I have interpreted this short saying as the basis of being. It clings to my soul. I put knowledge above all other pursuits. I am deeply passionate about the epistemological sub discipline in philosophy. Epistemology, or the study of knowledge, is a treasure trove of thought to get lost in. Epistemology studies questions like, “what is truth? What is The truth? What is knowledge? What is fact? How do we know? What is it to know?”

Knowledge is both a gift and a burden. The burden of understanding carries with it the burden of knowing. Growing up in south Mississippi, I routinely swam in bayou waters in the summer. The water was warm, and the alligators were plentiful, but I paid them no mind. My friends and I are no challenge to an alligator, yet we toiled away in our own childish spirit, swimming off rope swings, playing chicken—teenager stuff. At 31 years old, I would not imagine I would spend time swimming in a bayou with those same gators, or swinging from a rope swing without knowing the depth of the water, without knowing what flesh eating bacteria exists in there. I would not, because I understand the risks. I understand the consequences, and I now must bear the burden of that understanding and the knowledge of those risks. The knowledge and understanding sow the seeds of fear.

We sit comfortably in our faculties of thought, understanding, and experiences of our lives and in our societies. We sit comfortably, because like ignoring the things that need to be tended to in our lives, it’s easier to ignore the need to step out of our cognitive comfort zones. When we avoid challenging our own understanding, the law of entropy is left to run free and chip away at our homes and our lives. I’m perfectly guilty of this as well. As I sit here creating my first podcast, I have a woodshop needing power run into it, tools that need to be put away, a lawn that needs to be mowed, siding that needs to be repaired, a car that needs to be cleaned, a small leak in my roof needing repair, and a relationship that could always use more attention. Instead, I am hopeful this pursuit I am currently engaged in will yield something meaningful.

I am making the case that our house of understanding needs constant tending. Currently, it seems our world is entering into a foundry. Heating up, impurities floating to the top to be removed, and the pure elements recast and cooled into something with more utility in present society. It is a recycling of our society. I went to Google, clicked “News”, clicked “U.S.”, and the top stories are contentious in headlines, as well as the core of the story. Those hurt by the reminders of confederate statues, are calling for them to be removed. Those claiming heritage are fighting to make them stay. Fringe perspectives believe those statues must be retained in museums or they should be removed altogether. Race is an issue at the forefront of news and importance in our society today. For good reason, I might add. It has been less than a hundred years since the passing of the civil rights act. Decades followed that created systemic offense on the minority communities. Blacks, African Americans, people of color, and minorities of all backgrounds are valued members of our culture. We all benefit from the artistry of black artists and entertainers. As a fan of basketball, my favorite white player is Larry Bird. My all-time favorite list of basketball players has only one white individual. I am a fan of black artists, actors, and musicians. If you have never heard Victor Whooten play Amazing Grace in harmonics on the bass guitar, you have not heard beauty.

Yet, while we benefit from the trappings of black culture, it seems we will not engage in the necessary unpacking of our own thoughts and ideas, to listen and gain the perspective of others, so that we may grow together. This contentious opportunity is just that, an opportunity. I am thankful to know so many people from all walks of life. I am also thankful those individuals have been patient with me to teach me about their cultures. I have learned a great deal and grown because of it. I will give you an example.

Four years ago, I was stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia. I was a supervisor and a young black Airman was having a conversation at the other end of the room. I heard her say, “Yeah black women should definitely get paid more because of the hair regulations.” This struck me as odd. At the time, the congressional black caucus was putting pressure on the Department of Defense and the service chiefs to change the dress and appearance regulations to be more friendly to women of African descent. In my own fallacy, I read headlines, but ignored the actual articles. This is a problem facing many people on social media today. Most of the news we see is only a click-bait headline that we scroll past. Since when was reading a headline enough to keep you “in the know”? I digress. I approached the group and asked why they felt black women should get paid extra? They went on to explain the hair regulations were written for people from European descent—straighter, longer hair. It takes more money for a black woman to bring her hair into regulations. Women with longer straighter hair can tend to their hair at home and with minimal effort and cost—comparatively speaking. Black women typically cannot. They must go to a stylist and weave longer straighter hair into their existing hair. This can be hundreds of dollars every week or two. It made sense to me. At the time, the regulations prevented hair from even being braided. I was truly shocked hearing what these women had to go through to serve. It made perfect sense to me at this point. Perhaps there is an argument for these women to just comply with existing regulations and “get over it”. But why can’t people of color get to look nice in their own way? Why should the regulations be written in such a way that half of the military must pay hundreds more to look and feel nice and professional, even though their service is no different than any one other individual?

I am so thankful for this experience. But to make that possible, these individuals had to have trust in me that I had a genuine interest in knowing. They also had to know I possessed the capacity to learn and to listen. I had to possess the ability to hear to understand. Finally, I had to be willing to have my mind altered, despite my own experiences, biases, and sensations. That is no easy formula, but it is a formula that works. I can tell you that.

Experiences like that have given me the opportunity to grow and become more informed. As I have been more informed, I am motivated by the feeling of alliance with those that face struggles I have not. I have grown more empathetic. I am careful to pay attention to this. From this logic, I contend that everyone can achieve this same perspective, through the same formula. As we do, we can learn from one another and grow with one another.

This brings me to a compulsion for a podcast.

I find value in learning from others. I have made that clear. Books, talking, lectures—it does not matter. I have told many people books to me are like the movie, The Matrix. In one scene, the heroine and the male protagonist are on a roof, running from the villains in the movie. A well dressed, suited individual with glasses. Evil and stoic, they are viruses in the software with a mind for killing the programming. On the roof top, they have nowhere to run, but there is a helicopter. If memory serves me correctly, it is a black hawk. The heroine makes it clear she cannot fly the helicopter. Outside of the programmed world, an engineer sits and can upload the knowledge to the individual so that she and the male partner can escape. Her eyes flicker rapidly, indicating the knowledge is being uploaded, and she remarks, “Ok, now I can fly the helicopter”. Thus, they escape.

A book is just that, knowledge readily available for you to upload. It is years, and even decades of experience, study, and research condensed and distilled for your consumption. It is the sacred wine from the holy grail—and in that wine, in vino veritas—in wine there is truth. People are like that too. With the right frame of mind, you can consume someone’s knowledge and experience. That can be shared to you. You can upload it. Then you now possess the knowledge of the individual. It is a miraculous thing. The problem people face is being able to do so properly. And today’s society makes it difficult, if not impossible through social media. Where technology and globalization should have brought us closer together, it seems the amalgam of technology and globalization yields trappings that are more divisive than inclusive. What is worse is we engage on these mediums constantly. We are conditioning ourselves to not be able to interact with one another. The term “incel” has been invented to describe individuals with such poor social skills that they are “involuntarily celibate”. That is a serious problem for individuals and for society at large. As a nation, we will pay a price for that. Police cannot communicate with citizens, leading to more conflicts with tragic consequences. News media is the latest form of reality television. Our President provokes country powers through his twitter Account—even bragging about killing an Iranian General! Even advertising is changing. Our devices are constantly listening to us, delivering advertisements without deliberately communicating. I mentioned “welder” in a group text with my friends and for 4 days after that mentioning, my Facebook had welders and welding tools advertised. Then again, perhaps we should pay more attention to this advertising model. After all, they are listening.

Dating is done through an app where you judge someone by 200 characters and an image. You are choosing to date someone via an experience akin to an elevator pitch! It is unreal! What will the future hold? Elon Musk wants to put computer chips in our brains through his Neuro-link invention which will allow us to communicate without talking.

I want to create a podcast where, even through difficult subjects, two or more people can discuss topics objectively, casually, and without harm. This is probably a good opportunity to talk about the name of the podcast.

For those of you that know me, you know me as a jack. I am well versed in many trades. I am quite capable around a variety of trades. I have been a welder, mechanic, and carpenter. My last woodshop, I wired myself. I have built most of the furniture in my home. I buy old electronics to repair and sometimes resell. I do the same with cars and lawn equipment. Again, I am just capable at things. Perhaps my thirst for knowing enables the desire to learn and develop those abilities. In my interactions with men and women who build or fix things, its common to talk “shop”. This is partly where the “shop” comes into play. I want to talk to people who have experiences or jobs they want to talk about. I want to learn about them. I want to learn from them. I want to talk their shop. Truth be told, my first name was going to be Chop Shop—where we can chop it up! Two things kept me from using that name: it was already a podcast and my wife hated it!!

On chivalry. As stated previously, I am trying to have engaging, sometimes tough conversations with others. To do so there needs to be an ethic associated with conversation. After all, these discussions may become contentious. I hearken back to the study of war and the chivalry associated with war. Contention, with honor. I’m reminded of a beautiful essay by C.S. Lewis titled, “The Necessity of Chivalry.” This is the largest inspiration for the podcast experience I wish to have. I recommend a google and read. It is quite short.

The last line of the essay is probably the most impactful and explicit in what chivalry is and why it is so important.

“Chivalry offers the only possible escape from a world divided between wolves who do not understand and sheep who cannot defend, the things which make life desirable…”

So, the idea of shop and chivalry as a podcast is more than just a name for me. It is a spirit, an essence, of the meaning. It is the casual chat of shop talk, married to the contention of discourse, with the goal of unearthing something enlightening to oneself, in pursuit of growth.

 I am not sure where this will take me, but I’m happy to be on the journey. I’m thankful you all came to listen. I am eager to get started. My hope is to have at least weekly content. If you are interested in being on, shoot me a message or an email.

Be well everybody.