“The greatest gift you can give to a child is your face.” -Dr. Steve Call, Professor @ The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology
What a dilemma lies at the heart of so many of our pursuits. The problem with athletics, especially the older you get, is that the nature of sport brings an answer to this dilemma for a time. It encourages the meaning making of doing over being. It reinforces that it is not who we are but what we do that makes us worthy of attention…of love. Now, think for a moment what happens when an athlete can no longer prove him/herself through these means. Imagine the soul shriveling that would happen when nobody is cheering, or worse, when people are booing and cursing your decline.
Welcome to the Sporting Psyche…