It's as simple as that. Maybe we've all experienced this at some point in our lives. I know I have, and believe me, in more ways than one. There are always going to be winners and losers in the game of life. Play a sport, a board game, and you know exactly what I'm talking about. Heck, watch a sport or a board game being played and you know what I mean.
At work there are a few strong personalities who take their rooting interest to a personal level to the point of tension and anxiety, practically, that gets created on campus. Instead of rooting for their team to win, it turns into a situation where it seems like people end up spending more time rooting for other teams to lose. In the end, we're just talking about a game, right? And at the end of the day, what should be most important is the fact that we have a common goal in working together.
I've thought about this a little bit tonight as this individual's favorite team has now advanced into baseball's postseason and one of my favorite teams - I have many of them - failed to return to the playoffs. So I suppose I'll have to go and face the music tomorrow, though not nearly as much so as a few other co-workers with much stronger rooting interests in this particular case.
In other aspects of life, I've encountered hostility when it comes to politics. To understand my political background, it's important to know that I grew up in what I thought was a Republican home. I recall our family supporting Ronald Reagan in each presidential election. By the time I turned 18 and was off to college, there was George H.W. Bush, and I increasingly spent more time forming my own opinions about issues I felt were important to a young adult such as myself. I voted absentee from school in Idaho at every election. My grandma introduced me to working an election and so one November I wound up doing just that. I've always been involved in the political process and have participated in it often.
The saga of Bill Clinton with Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky was a real eye-opener for me. I was somewhat disillusioned with the idea of politicians. The controversial election of George W. Bush in 2000 jaded me even further, and the mess that was 9/11 and the mysteries surrounding the events of that day and what followed caused me to cling to the political center if you will. I pledge allegiance to no political party.
My ideals and values are faith-based and I cling to that when it comes to making important life decisions. So it was even more frustrating when George W. Bush again won another controversial election before the historic campaign of our nation's first African-American President in 2008.
Through social media and e-mail I've made my feelings about important issues known to family friends. As a public school teacher, I have made a point to raise awareness about funding education and education reform that doesn't revolve around multiple-choice testing or severe consequences. I am not a lackey for anybody's union or simply parroting what I've been told to say. I genuinely care about my fellow teachers and public education as an important tool in society. I am proud to have my children attend the school where I work, for that matter.
So this evening I've been pondering the relationships I have in my life with others and how my rooting interests have caused there to be great distances emotionally and spiritually in my life. In many ways I'm saddened because something as silly as a political party or a professional sports team could not possibly be enough to discourage others from spending time together, trusting one another, or having a relationship. Could that be?
Clearly something else must be the problem and no one bothers to say anything, which then leaves me feeling the way I've just described. Why let that fester though? What's the hopeful outcome of that kind of lingering resentment? Is there a hopeful outcome? Could we let bygones be bygones and move on with our lives?
As I stop and think about the fact that my rooting interests are different from some of my loved ones, and there is now this gulf between us, I reflect on what it is that may have caused such distance if not for the fact that we don't cheer for the same sports teams all the time, or vote the same way, or have a number of other different personality traits. Obviously, this is not the case with many of my friends, but those closest to me, in my life .... this continues to be the case.
It must be that I've done something to bring this on. And yet, as I brainstorm my choices and actions, nothing comes to mind. My wife can't come up with that "thing" I have done to deserve any of this. So I suppose that it all boils down to the simple fact that I root for all the wrong teams. This is apparently my lot in life and I've got to accept it.
What bugs me so much at this point is the hypocrisy and gall that it takes to treat others in such hurtful ways when being treated similarly would hurt, we know it, and yet nothing is done about it. Apparently the Golden Rule is not one-size-fits-all. It only applies to people like myself who root for the wrong teams.
Folks, the only thing I want to point out through expressing my feelings tonight is the fact that it is OK for others to think and act differently than us. If they're family members of ours at any level, we accept them and care about them regardless. Heck, we may even discover something new about ourselves as we make an effort to get to know them better.
I've opened up a bit here and shared some real personal feelings about myself. Do me a favor and don't leave any comments, but think about what I've written here. Decide how fair it is to judge others for such pointless reasons and what could possibly be gained by being so far off the straight and narrow path that has been outlined for us by the Man Upstairs.
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