By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
It’s resolution time, an exercise to complete with
care. As most people are their own worst
critics, an honest personal critique immediately threatens the New Year’s
inherent optimism. In his classic Happy Xmas (War is Over), John Lennon
captured the dilemma when he sang, “So this is Christmas; And what have you
done; Another year older; And a new one just begun.” Precisely. What have we done, beyond age another year? A personal evaluation includes many tough
questions. Was I kind? Selfless?
Patient? Was I a good citizen and
steward of the planet? Did I dedicate
enough time to family and personal relationships? Are my finances and career in order? Am I healthy spiritually (however you define
that term)? Physically? Am I happy?
Satisfied? Content?
Considering that brutal self-examination, the likely
answer to Lennon’s question “What have you done?” is “not enough”, a conclusion
that anoints New Year’s the battle ground between an inadequate past and a
hopeful future. Before that dark cloud envelops
your tender 2016 sky, consider an alternative: Instead of an introspective
search for a 2015 failure to correct, look to the external world for
inspiration and resolutions. It’s less
personal. Less…depressing…and maybe more
productive. Where in the external
world? How about a few lessons from our
local teams? They offered plenty to
ponder.
Washington Nationals
Last spring, the Nats were a chic pick to win the
World Series. Bryce Harper even
infamously asked, “Where’s my ring?” before the season. Reality: The Nats finished 83-79 and missed
the playoffs. Perhaps a bit more
humility, an acknowledgement of the uncertainty of tomorrow, would be wise.
Baltimore Ravens
Injuries, gut-wrenching losses…it was an awful year
for Edgar Allen Poe’s blackbirds. The
Ravens had every right to quit. By all
accounts they should have quit. Waved
the white flag. Tapped out. They never did, competing to the end. Bravo.
Adversity reveals character.
You’ll encounter the former in 2016, let it reveal your mettle too.
The ‘Skins
Washington was supposed to be a six-win team at best,
a cauldron of chaos. Instead, the ‘Skins
morphed into the NFC East’s most stable team and became what no one thought
they could be: division champions. The
lesson? You will be doubted too. In 2016, believe in yourself because it will
occur to few others to do so.
Baltimore Orioles
The seminal moment in local sports last year occurred
on April 29 at Camden Yards. That
afternoon, the Orioles played against the White Sox…in an empty stadium. No fans were permitted entrance because
Baltimore, a city I love and called home for six years, was on lockdown in the
wake of the violent response to the unconscionable beating and handling of
Freddie Gray by city police. Gray died
from his injuries, and while Baltimore’s buildings burned and public outrage
boiled over in the aftermath, Camden Yards, a cathedral of civic pride, good
times and unity, fell sadly, but perhaps appropriately, silent.
There’s a lot going in the world. North Korea.
Paris. ISIS. The Middle East. There’s a lot going on in the United States,
too. Ferguson, Missouri. Charleston, South Carolina. San Bernardino, California. Baltimore, Maryland. Lists of despair. If there’s one resolution I hope that every
single one of us is making for 2016, it’s to commit ourselves to our common
humanity and to halt our compulsive tendency to stereotype and to focus only on
our differentiating characteristics - race, religion, sexual orientation and politics.
In 2016, love must dominate hate.
I’ll leave you with three thoughts from far greater
minds. First, this quote from Yoda:
“Fear leads to anger; Anger leads to hate; Hate leads to suffering.” Second is this thought from James Baldwin’s
essay Everybody’s Protest Novel:
“…panic motivates cruelty, this fear of the dark makes it impossible that our
lives shall be other than superficial.”
And lastly, back to Lennon’s song for a few more poignant lyrics: “And
so happy Christmas; For black and for white; For yellow and red ones; Let’s
stop all the fight”…“A very merry Christmas; And a happy New Year; Let’s hope
it’s a good one; Without any fear.”
To a peaceful 2016…and no more empty stadiums.
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