Sports, Competition and Martial Arts

Argentina is one goal ahead of Nigeria and only a few more minutes remain. One of my all time favourite sportsman, Diego Maradona, chews his nails. And because he is the current coach of Argentina, my loyalties may have shifted from Brazil to the Albicelestes. I am not a 100 percent sure about that though. Hey, the tournament has just started. But that is quite typical of me. It is the player whom I support and not the team. I support Boston Celtics because of Kevin Garnett, the eighties Windies team, since Richards captained it, and Switzerland Davis cup team due to Federer. In the case of the Indian Cricket team, there may be reasons other than Tendulkar, but the result is usually a disappointment, except for him.


Why are we men so hooked onto sports, often to the chagrin of women folks?


If you ask this question after a third round of Budweiser, one of our guys will be quick to explain the Testosterone angle. Another may say, with a smirk, that we like it because, they hate it. For me, sports is a way of playing out the competition within you vicariously. Let us not get into how competition developed within men, as part of evolution and natural selection, and reached its summit during mating. Interestingly, when I typed that, the image that popped up in my head is of a group of bull buffaloes having a go at each other to be popular among the cows. Of course, I am trying to shrug off that image now. Must have watched Rakhi ki Swayamvar or so.


But competition intrigues me. It is the matchup that usually triggers the interest. When equals enter an arena and stare each other down, Testosterone reaches an altogether different level. And media plays up the hype to make every matchup appear as if it is a fight of equals (but we all know, there are times, like when Nadal is scheduled to play, the other guy may as well not turn up, 9 out of 10 times). When a person you like becomes a force majeure in any sport, you see him as a manifestation of yourself. Race, creed or caste does not matter. It is you, in a different form, ready to match up with another who has challenged you for whatever reason. And it is time to put him in his place. As the match starts, you are no more on your couch at home (And that is probably why I never hear what my wife says during a match). It is you who competes. You step on the field, only dressed as another man. When your
manifestation is underperforming, you urge him and shout at him. If he raises his game, it is because of you. The final moments are the biggest challenge for you. You have to hold onto that lead. When your avatar delivers the final blow and raises his hand to the skies, you have finally done it. When the crowd chants his name, you, not him, say thank you. But, on the other hand, if he fails, you fail. The rest of the day is then a nagging disappointment.


Phew!


The vicarious aspect is nowhere as visible as it is in Britain. When Murray progresses to the third round, there is a Murray mania. When England plays the USA tonight at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, every run should lead to a surge in the noise levels in my flat.


A few years back, I became the fan of combat sports. And the biggest international stage for that is Ultimate Fighting Championship. Basically, two men enter a cage and beat the hell out of each other. My wife runs away, the moment I put that on TV. Don't get me wrong. I don't like the 'blood and violence' aspect of it. There may be people who watch it for the violence. But I switch it off when I see somebody bleeding or being bullied by a bigger stronger man. I enjoy it when it is a match up between equals and when they are engaged in a tactical fight. I do admit though, that I like it more when there is a knock out, as opposed to a judges decision. At the end of the day, the fact remains that full contact combat sport is the most direct form of competition, that is legal. The problem with that sport though, is that, because it is so direct, you may get a bit too involved. Your breathing becomes quite a bit higher than when you watch Volleyball, for instance. Those reading this and judging me now, it is no different to watching Jackie Chan or Rajanikant.


Soccer may not be that direct, but it is more engaging than MMA, and more healthy to watch. Tennis is even better and a gentleman's sport. With Wimbledon about to start, my fingers are crossed for Federer.


All said and done, there is nothing like sports and it does not get better any better than this month. We have a right to follow our avatars. And women have a right to watch romantic movies.

Back to Square One - Paths of Life

A few thoughts, with an early morning coffee. And I can see what you will probably say - get more sleep :-). For sure, I should.And while typing this, my thoughts are already influenced by what the reader will say. As Heisenberg said, certain pairs of physical properties cannot be simultaneously known (and I add done) to precision. One influences the other.


Getting back to the point. There are two paths to life. One is the obvious path most of us follow. The path to glory or success, and let me, patronizingly or
diligently, call it self glory. This is the easier path of the two. Although we all know how hard it is for us.You have to have talent, ability to work hard
and luck to be successful, in the conventional way. The second path is less obvious and even more so, for those who are well on course in the first path.


Heisenberg strikes again. Capturing thoughts into words has already started eroding the effect of the thought. Let me persist.


The second path can be called glorifying life itself, or in other words, glorifying the one who created life. The intention here is not to get into the
debate of Big Bang, atheism, scientific evidence, evolution, etc. At the end of the day, we all have our own belief systems. And much as we demonstrate how
firm they are, they change overnight or in a course of a few years. For me personally, over years, I have switched from an innocent believer to a cool
atheist in college to a frustrated hater of all belief systems to this self proclaimed believer now. I pray, it will last this time around. All I will say
is, tough situations test your belief, one way or another.


Among us, there are some who are blessed with the right talents and support to make it big (conventionally) in life. And boy, are some of them good? When you
see a Federer forehand, or an Obama speech, or Lance Armstrong beating cancer to the finishing line, you feel that you have lived to see something. You will
also see that ambitious businessman or politician, taking the wrong routes (conventionally) and striking it rich. We may have criticized the guy, while he
was on his route, but may still praise him once he becomes a force to reckon. Again, not trying to be judgemental here. Rest assured, I am no better than
anybody else.


But at the crux of this piece, lies an opinion, that the 'not so obvious' need not be as hidden as it is today, as the 'obvious'. The emphasis on success
places a smoke screen on folks, who are not successful conventionally but are succeeding in the second path. It is an inherent choice, partly pre-determined
when we were born and partly a choice, and mostly deep within, which we probably are never even aware of. For the second group, the ones who struggle on a
regular basis or the ones going through a temporary bad and tough phase, you still are glorifying something. The blind man who finds his way through the
street is certainly glorifying something. He glorifies the subtle and sublime purpose of life. He reduces his negative balance with the father. He gains more
credit with the one who sent him here. This could be another way of saying that if you suffer today, you will inherit heaven. Or it could be about the urge
to walk the path that you have been shown without worrying about the result. It is, also, more so about the 'why should I' or 'why me' and 'what have I done
to deserve this'.


Life is as much a school as it is a competition. Each day is a course. Some courses are simple, obvious and conventional. Some are tough, hard to understand,
and almost impossible to pass. As much as I consider it a lowly thought, it may be worth equating life to how a father sents his kids to a school. He knows
schooling is tough and would much rather have them near him all the time. But he still has to let go. His kids need to be at the school and have to go
through the grind. There are even times when he has to give them that bitter medicine or injection to cure that persistent virus. His kids probably cannot
see beyond the chocolates or playground. They may see another kid having an ice cream and scream at the top of the voice for that. But the father may not buy
that. He may insist on the kid continuing with his broccoli and spinach. The father's judgement is better than the kid's. And the heavenly father's judgement
is better than all ours.


If you felt as if you have just finished listening through the Sunday sermon, I am sincerely sorry :-). I am not a big fan of that either. And after this, I am back to square one, none the wiser.