as i was browsing the canadian football league website this lunch hour, i came across an article written by dan goodspeed, an offensive lineman for the winnipeg blue bombers.
in his article, goodspeed writes:
"There is a certain mentality that goes along with being an offensive lineman. You must be able to remain calm, interpret the play from the quarterback, get to the line of scrimmage, and diagnose the defense. You have to think about what the defense is trying to do, what we are trying to do, and what line calls need to be made to make the play effective. At the snap of the ball play, you must use all the rage and violence possible to enforce your will on the man in front of you to make the play work. After the play is over and you make your way back to the huddle, you must refocus yourself so you can think of what the defender and the defense did to counter your actions so you can adapt and make the next play work. It’s this temperament of an offensive lineman that I find engaging."
the article is entitled, "rage and violence to enforce your will." as in, "you must use all the rage and violence possible to enforce your will on the man in front of you to make the play work."
wow. now, maybe my view is shaded a particular way because i like to think that i am a peace-loving man. a good mennonite, if you will. however, i am a real live human being, and rage affects me as it does most folks i think, so how do i deal with it?
well, i will use two examples in my own life. i play baseball. sometimes in baseball tempers flare and fights break out. as i catcher, i have a responsibility to protect my pitcher. if a batter charges the pitcher's mound, i must run behind and, should he choose not to ease up, i believe i should tackle him from behind and wrestle him to the ground so that he does not lay a hand on my pitcher. i believe i can do this rationally and somewhat efficiently (i.e. it does not need to extend to a fist fight, etc.). secondly, i am married. if my wife and i were walking down a street and a man would inappropriately approach my wife or something to that effect, i would most certainly step in between that person and my wife, and i would defend her, physically restraining the fellow if need be.
now, my concern lies not so much in action (as i have just written, i do believe there is a place for action--though not rageful, vengeful aggression), but rather: what place do rage and violence have in our society?
athletics such as football, and more specifically boxing, ultimate fighting, wrestling, and hockey, not only allow fist-to-fist violence (extreme violence in some cases), but promote such action. if i were to meet someone on the street and punch them in the head 15 times, i would be arrested and charged with assault. but not in hockey. or boxing or ultimate fighting. is this right?
i work with students. i see some outcomes of such lifestyles. i admit, i enjoy a good tussle as much as the next red-blooded male. i do think there is a difference between play fighting with a friend and executing a wrestling move on a fellow person at a youth event, however.
so how can this be ok?
John's church plant
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I met John one summer at camp. It's crazy to think that if either one of us
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