Some of us played football. Famously Roosevelt talked about being “in the arena” of life. In football whether we experienced winning, losing, or even championship seasons, most of us consider that we have “spent ourselves” in a worthy effort. Win or lose, we know “in the end the triumph of high achievement,” or, if we fail, “at least” we fail “while daring greatly.”* Ran across the following football parable a few years ago: Imagine that you are attending a football game. The teams seem evenly matched. One team has been trained to follow the rules ; the other, to do just the opposite . They are committed to cheat and disobey every rule of sportsmanlike conduct. While the game ends in a tie, it is determined that it must continue until one side wins decisively . Soon the field is a quagmire . Players on both sides are being ground into the mud . The cheating of the opposing team turns to brutality . Players are carried off the field . Some have been injured critical...
Scott Vanatter