I know some fans who are really passionate that when their team lose a final, they just shut down and not get on with their lives. The art of moving on is undoubtedly hard to grasp, but maybe we should master.
By T. AVINESHWARAN
MY MOTHER got me thinking. While I was talking to her about work and life, she suddenly told me,
“Son, you cannot expect happiness from other people. It is short lived. You have to look for your own joy. Life is such.”
What is happiness? A quick search on Google defines it the state of being happy. In our lives, we always want to be satisfied. There is no second thoughts or doubts about it. We just want our lives to be full of vigour, life and courage. Imagine watching your beloved country winning the World Cup… That gives you great joy but is it permanent?
You may be wondering why a sports blogger is a little philosophical about life. Why can’t we mix sports with a bit of life lesson? Sport is just not a feat of human physiology… There are lots of emotions involved in it too.
One day you win the world cup and the next thing you know, you are out of a job and struggling with life. Some of us grasp on some matters too strongly, until we seem to lose ourselves.
For Paul Gascoigne, the world was his oyster during his playing days, but since he left the game, he has been struggling with alcohol and drugs. Football was his drug in the past, but after he broke up with the beautiful game, he struggled with many things, and to date, his life is always in the spotlight.
I was watching an interview of his on Sports AM last August, and he was all over the place. Dishevelled, slurring and all over the place, some fans were actually having fun with his antics. They found it funny, but I found it worrying.
Some fans too can get really passionate and happy about their teams. Sometimes I wish they would not take sports too seriously. Some fans have a sense of control, but there are others who are willing to gamble their lives just to satisfy their happiness. Sometimes that happiness can be your downfall too.
During my time in the corporate world, I realised how depressing expectations can be. Instead of following your potential or flow, you are given a key performance indicator (KPI) to fulfil. I only lasted eight months.
In professional settings these days, athletes will have expectations, but it can be heightened by associations, clubs, affiliates and even fans. When these athletes are not able to fulfil them, they are ostracised. When that happens, it’s either they quit and look for new horizons or just crumble in the wilderness. Sometimes, I do feel that we can be harsh on certain people. Instead of understanding dynamics, we are too rigid when demanding success.
Sport is a vehicle for happiness but if you drive it all the time, it will eventually lose fuel, and that happiness will subside when we start panicking over a blinking fuel indicator. It brings authentic happiness, but sometimes we need to find happiness from other things.
I know some fans who are really passionate that when their team lose a final, they just shut down and not get on with their lives. The art of moving on is undoubtedly hard to grasp, but maybe we should master.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a perfect example of adapting and finding happiness elsewhere. He was loved in Manchester United and was happy, but he knew he needed to step up. The Portuguese joined Real Madrid and became a club legend but who would have expected a guy who had everything in Madrid to go to Turin.
At Juventus, he struggled in the first few games but has already found his feet. His ability to move on is second to none. Even when he loses a title, he does get sad, but that does not stop him from fighting for future titles. Maybe we as fans should learn that art.
A noted sports philosopher once said that the goal of sports is to attempt to feel a sense of “completeness” as a result of the experience. It does complete us, but it should not be everything in our life.
As I ponder about happiness with family, friends and work, at the age of 28, I am telling myself to be adaptable and not to always look for pleasure from the people you love. Sports does give you happiness but do not make it your utmost priority. There is more than meets the eye!
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