An incident made me think about what’s happening in our world and why and how things must change.
Earlier this week, I was walking back to my dorm from the library. I had just been to my daily writing center appointment, and I was on my way home to grab a small snack and prepare for a night of studying, as I had an exam in the morning. Then something happened.
As I turned the corner, I saw two people arguing. One was Caucasian wearing a hoodie; the other was African-American and wore my school attire. The Caucasian was berating and harassing the African American named Charles, and it looked like things were about to escalate to physical violence. I stepped in, walking Charles away from the situation, de-escalating the situation.
I later learned that Charles was talking with the person who harassed him about possibly enrolling at my school and bettering himself as a person, only to be met with the harassment. Then, Charles thanked me for (as he put it) “saving his life.”
Why am I telling you this? Something that Charles resonated with me about life: “The problem with the world today is that we compete too much when we should be working together. There are two goals in the world: To either spread peace, love, and positivity in the world or to be power-hungry and negative. Which one is the right goal?”
This statement applies to sports, too, because the sports world is hypercompetitive, including toxicity, especially off the playing field. If the athletes aren’t competing in the sport, they compete to see who has the most money. If they aren’t competing to see who has the most money, they compete to see who has the most followers on social media. If they aren’t competing to see who has the most followers, they compete to see who has the most cars, mansions, trophies, girls, cameo roles, etc.
The negative consequences of living that kind of life are obvious. They include drug use, mental health issues, and violence.
It’s not a matter of stopping competition; competition can be worthwhile and fun. But there has to be a balance between competition and cooperation. For example, consider many athletes’ impact when they engage in activism and philanthropy. They are making an impact on the world.
That’s why we all need to remember Charles’ words and how important it is to “spread peace, love, and positivity.” Nelson Mandela put it well: “Sport has the power to inspire. It can unite people in a way that little else does.”
