Steve Sabol: Excellence, Legacy, and Impermanence

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On September 18,2012, Steve Sabol, the creative genius behind NFL films, died of inoperable brain cancer.  He was diagnosed with it in March of 2011.  Reading about this event, as well as Steve’s life, and remembering my youth watching NFL films got me thinking about excellence, legacy and of course, the shortness of life.

I will never forget watching NFL films with my buddies back in my high school days.  I played high school football and my two best friends were both sons of high school football coaches (our coaches).  Needless to say, I was barraged with stories of football glory and dreams of NFL stardom growing up through high school.  NOTE:  only one of us played in the NFL…and it wasn’t me.  However, we all played in college, although I did not last the full four years…thank goodness I had realized I needed a backup plan—END OF NOTE.  Anyway, these films more than anything else about the NFL, made me reach to become a real champion.  Initially, I thought about football greatness, but eventually I realized I must strive to be great in whatever I pursue; I should be a champion, a hero, in my own life.  NFL films helped me strive to be someone to be looked up to.  The films themselves have faded from my memory, but the spark remains.

One particular excerpt from NFL films I remember well (at least the basics).  It goes something like this:  The screen is black with the following quotation written on it, which remains in view just long enough for you to read it:  “Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.”  Then, the screen fades, and a football field appears…the deep-voiced announcer begins, ”In the Midday sun….”  and the story of an NFL star, game, or season proceeds.  This is epic filmmaking!  I looked and looked for that video on the internet, but to no avail.  I am sure it is in the NFL films archives.  Chances are it had something to with “Mad Dog” Mike Curtis of the Baltimore Colts (1965-75 click for a cool youtube video), but like I said, no luck.  Nonetheless, this film and those like it left a lasting impression on me.  It made NFL game day feel like a noble and heroic competition day, complete with a game that must be struggled through to obtain victory!

Destined for NFL stardom? Uhh, no!

So, Steve Sabol was an innovator of excellence, the guy behind the camera and the production, portraying the NFL as something more than it was (a monopolized league playing sports games with athletes for hire).  He inspired me, and I am sure he inspired others.  Surely, he put in long hours preparing, editing, and creating.  He lived his life dedicated to the production of an excellent product.  For this product and for his dedication, I admire him.  Indeed, he has left quite a legacy for many to follow.  I will pass this legacy on to my children:  that “spark” of competition, that dream of excellence or even the “perfect game.”  Maybe even the perfect product (like a blog, for instance)!

In time, Steve Sabol’s legacy will fade.  Chances are, in 100 years nobody will know his name.  All things considered, his life of less than 70 years…not terribly short nor impressively long, will be nothing more than a blip in history.  He is slightly famous today, and honored by news stories, but in 200 years, one might not even be able to find him in the historical archives.

Thus, is the duality in which we live; striving for excellence, making an impression, a legacy, while existing in but a blink of time.  In Zen, we acknowledge our impermanence, in fact the impermanence of all things.  As a Stoic, I know that my impermanence is my destiny.

An old graveyard…even those who used to visit are gone.

Which reminds me of something Stoic that Marcus Aurelius wrote:  “Think continually that all kinds of men and of all kinds of pursuits and of all nations are dead, so that thy thoughts come down even to Philistion and Phoebus and Origanion. Now turn thy thoughts to the other kinds of men. To that place then we must remove, where there are so many great orators, and so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates; so many heroes of former days, and so many generals after them, and tyrants; besides these, Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Archimedes, and other men of acute natural talents, great minds, lovers of labour, versatile, confident, mockers even of the perishable and ephemeral life of man, as Menippus and such as are like him. As to all these consider that they have long been in the dust. What harm then is this to them; and what to those whose names are altogether unknown? One thing here is worth a great deal, to pass thy life in truth and justice, with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.”

A final thought:  Do any of you know who Philistion, Phoebus, Origanion, Heraclitus, Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Archimedes, Pythagoras, Socrates, and Menippus were?  Heck, what about Marcus Aurelius?

Winning the Competition – On Being Your Own NFL Champ (or the next American Idol)!

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Let’s face it, life is a great competition.  Most of us thrive on it.  Why else would NFL football, America’s Got Talent, American Idol or any of these reality TV shows like Big Brother or Survivor be so popular (my quick survey shows that 13 of 30 prime time shows on CBS have to do with some type of competition/winning)?  The releases of new game consoles like the upcoming Wii U, Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 are always big news and they are hot commodities.  Why?  They allow us to compete against cyber opponents and others.  Our desire to compete and win fuels the marketplace!

We love to watch, participate, and win competitions!  If we can’t win, we pick a pony like our favorite NFL team or player (RG III) or American Idol star and they win for us.  If we can’t kick a football, or run a 4.9 40-yard dash, we might pick up a game console, and compete against our friends or maybe even some unknown rival over the internet.

Competition is healthy.  It motivates us to be better, but it can be discouraging.  Why?   Because so much of what is involved in competitions is out of our control.    We can’t control the quality of our opponent…they might actually be better, or they might just be having the “game of their life.”  In team sports, we can’t control the actions of our teammates.  On top of all of that, are external factors like weather, wind, a bad controller (on that Wii U you’re going to buy).  Sometimes, you just have plain dumb luck, like a bad bounce or an untied shoe.

In real life, our competition may involve our standard of living, or the future for our family.  If we perform our job better than others, we hope that we will get a raise, a promotion, a sale, etc.  Of course, that does require that somebody actually notice our excellence.  There certainly are ways to get noticed, but much of that is indeed out of our control…just like in friendly competition.  It really is no different.  The employee you are next to might be well-connected (or even the boss’ daughter).  The boss might be watching right when you make the worst error you’ve had in months.  That new product you are trying to sell just might not be what people want.  These obstacles are all things to learn from, and improve upon…and maybe they make us work even harder.

The Boss’s Daughter!

So, if so much is out of my control, what am I to do?   Here is what I try to do:  I strive to produce the very best result I can under the conditions given.  My goal is to be the very best I can be.  When I am not doing so, I know it.  In essence, I determine whether I’ve succeeded in everything I do.  I am my own judge and jury, and if I honestly examine my inner self, there is no cheating.  At the end of the day, I must look myself in the mirror and judge my actions.

Ha, I just snuck in some Stoicism 101…and you thought it was about football or that silly America’s Got Talent show, hee hee!

What if You Lost Everything?

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I recently finished “A Man in Full” by Tom Wolfe.  It is a great, long novel for a Heroic Stoic to read.  One of the great questions that are posed to the reader of this book is, “What if you lost everything?”   What if you lost all of your possessions, your family, your health, your reputation, or any combination of these?  I think it is healthy to mentally prepare for the possibility.

Try imagining your life without any of these things: 1) everything you own 2) your spouse or children 3) or your ability to walk, see, hear, etc.

Try actually depriving yourself, maybe even for a day, of something you take for granted:  1) shoes 2) air conditioning 3) electricity 4) solid food.

These practices will help you in a time when maybe you might need to deal with similar situations, a situation that is not so severe, AND it will help you appreciate those things that you have.

What if you were a pan-handler on the street, would it be as bad as you think?

“Never in any case say I have lost such a thing, but I have returned it.  Is your child dead?  It is a return. Is your wife dead? It is a return. Are you deprived of your estate?  Is not this also a return?”  – Epictetus

Tactical Optimism and Strategic Pessimism

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I was listening to the Morning in America radio show several years ago, and Bill Bennett, the host said something like this:  “I am a tactical optimist, and a strategic pessimist.  We are all ashes in the end, but we wake up each morning and figure out how to move the ball each day.”

This is a profound and rich quote, full of allusions to sport, religion, and military maneuver, not to mention a little Stoic wisdom (most likely by accident…not sure Dr. Bennett is a Stoic).

In essence, this phrase captures how a Heroic Stoic would live.  Yes, in the end tragedy will befall us, including our own and everyone else’s death, but that does not mean we shouldn’t serve, build, and create anyway.

Tactical Optimism for the Long Trip Ahead – I’m confident I can make it to that next tree. After that, more trees!

The Stoic knows that nothing lasts forever, and that much is out of her control.  However, she continues on and works on those things that she can control.  Moreover, to be a hero she would indeed contribute for the sake of her own excellence, for the very sake of accomplishing the task.  For those who wish to take advantage of her productive endeavors, she will willingly engage in trade with them.

Right now, millions of people are currently grasping for more, or wallowing in self-pity, or even thinking that they deserve something from “the man,” from life, or from those who have the ability to help them.  Many others are happy with the illusion that tragedy will somehow miss them.  Many have never heard of the Stoics, and others might not agree with the individual-centered philosophy of Ayn Rand.  It is my view that this will probably remain the case; neither Stoic philosophy nor individualism seem to be anywhere close to be being described as “en vogue.”  It is the default position of human nature to ignore the suffering around us rather than face it head-on.  Moreover, it is a very common trait of humans to attribute one’s station in life as the fault of another, or of society in general.  In the end, the great majority will never embrace a Heroic Stoic lifestyle, no matter what I do, write, or say.

Strategic Pessimism – Those trees will be ashes soon enough.

Despite all of this, I write about these topics.  I believe in the power of Heroic Stoicism, and hopefully I can move the ball forward just a little today, tomorrow, and every day.  Even though most of YOU out there will not truly embrace what I say, I write about what I believe, because I think it will HELP YOU.

That’s because I am a tactical optimist, despite the fact that I am a strategic pessimist.

Stoic Gratitude (…or, how lucky are you, really?)

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Seneca, one of the great Stoics, said,  “Many times has wailing for the dead been heard in my neighborhood; many times have the torch and the taper led untimely funerals past my threshold; often has the crash of a falling building resounded at my side; many of those whom the forum, the senate-house and conversation had bound to me a night has carried off, and the hands that were joined in friendship have been sundered by the grave. Should I be surprised if the dangers that always have wandered about me should at some time reach me? The number of men that will plan a voyage without thinking of storms is very great. I shall never be ashamed to quote a bad author if what he says is good. Publilius, who, whenever he abandoned the absurdities of farce and language directed to the gallery, had more vigor than the writers of comedy and tragedy, among many other utterances more striking than any that came from the buskined — to say nothing of the comic curtain’s — stage, has also this:  Whatever can one man befall can happen just as well to all.”

 


And this passage makes me realize I have much to be grateful for.

For this I am grateful this morning.  When I rose from my bed, my feet did not ache with pain.  For that matter my Achilles heel was intact and my feet and all of my lower extremity muscles carried me with ease to my sink and shower.

My oldest children were all happily sleeping, none of them was taken from me by a horrible auto accident.  All are young drivers, two of them drive late at night for work.  I get to see them one more day.

My youngest son is sharp as a tack despite a tough beginning to his life.  I am proud of him.

My youngest daughter is energetic, inquisitive, alive, and alert.  She has not been in a coma for months or even years.  I am allowed to partake in her child-driven joy.

My wife is in love with me, this I know.  She is vibrant, physically beautiful and witty.  I was able to hear her voice, her breath, to feel her warmth.  When I awoke this morning, she was by my side.  It was her alarm that woke me.  She slammed the snooze button in perfect form.  She intentionally wakes to teach my children at home, because she cares for them with all her heart.  For this I am grateful.

My family, in general, is intact.  All well…one more day to share with them.  One more moment to ask them “how are things?”

I turn the water handle and it runs with potable water…I can drink straight from the faucet any time I want.  I feel the 72 degree low humidity air around my body.  It is easy to breathe.  The electrical grid supplies me with one more day of luxurious comfort.  I earn enough in dollars to pay for it.  Furthermore, my lungs feel healthy and strong.  I have not smoked very much…I am glad to have missed that addiction.

I click on a coffee pot, that will brew the beverage I love so dearly.  So many laborers who grow, pick and deliver those beans to me from so far away.  Such craftsmanship in electrical appliances necessary to partake in this special drink, that livens my senses and comforts me all at once.

I see the light on the pot.  I see…with both eyes.  Four years ago I was struck with a condition which left my left eye partially blind for six months.  I am grateful for retinal specialists, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies for their work and care.  I am also grateful for the little luck it took to get my eye back to full vision.  I can still detect the remnants of the condition, but it is wonderful.  The remnant is a reminder of how temporary being able to see can be.  Today I can see.

I am grateful.