THE WINNER By Gregory Barrette True strength includes a kind of flexibility that sways and gives, in response to outer challenges. Just as in an earthquake, when wood framed buildings often hold up best, because of their flexible ability to ride things out, so we must be willing to not let ourselves got stuck in rigid responses that may end up hurting us. My new neighbors had just immigrated from Switzerland, and having seen “Urban Cowboy” back home, they wanted to visit a stereotypical American cowboy bar. When I took them to one that was nearby, they expressed great excitement about riding the mechanical bull. But just before it was their turn, an employee shoved a liability form in front of them, which I dutifully explained. It mentioned many potential catastrophic outcomes that put them off doing the ride, whereupon I was asked if I wanted to take their turn in line. Riding a mechanical bull had never been on my bucket list, but what the hey, I figured I’d do it. I signed and got on and found that I had some kind of spooky aptitude for this skill, which was weird, given my usual lack of athleticism. Unfortunately, as I rose up though the increasingly difficult levels, my right knee, the one I’d had surgery on that summer, began to hurt terribly. I should have known, and since didn’t want any further injury, I declined. That last ride was to be set at the top level that no one else had reached that night, having been thrown long before. The large crowd that had gathered around started hollering at me to go ahead, and when I tried to walk away, they got a little rowdy. It appeared that I was stuck between a bull and a hard crowd. So, avoiding what might have been an ugly scene, I got up on the bull, signaled them to begin, and then let it throw me, making sure I landed on my good side. All was well. If I wasn’t the hero, at least I wasn’t the goat of the evening. Everybody was happy, and my knee had been spared. Jesus frequently advised flexible acquiescence in the face of unnecessary potential battles. His teachings to “resist not evil”, “turn the other cheek”, “when they ask for your coat, given them your underwear as well”, “go the extra mile” and “agree with your adversary quickly” all speak to this kind of flexible nonresistance. Although I don’t think that he was advocating passivity and victimhood, there is much to be said for walking away from needless conflicts. If the purpose of life is to grow spiritually, letting a mechanical bull throw you might save you a world of hurt in the long run, whether that bull takes the form of a useless argument, pointless one-upmanship or futile disagreement. Then you’ll have some energy left over for what is really essential—spiritual growth. Shel Silverstein wrote a song, “The Winner”, about a man who backed away from a fight that wasn’t his to fight. It ends: Now, you remind me a lot of my younger days with your knuckles clenchin white. But, boy, Im gonna sit right here and sip this beer all night. And if theres somethin you gotta prove by winnin some silly fight, Well, OK, I quit, I lose, son, youre the winner. So I stumbled from that barroom not so tall and not so proud, And behind me I could hear the hoots of laughter from the crowd. But my eyes still see and my nose still works and my teeth are still in my mouth. And yknow...I guess that makes me...a winner.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 01:26:52 +0000
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