Yours truly would be the first to admit I've said and done a lot of boneheaded -- see wrong -- things in my life. Some were out of ignorance -- not informed enough to know better before speaking or acting. Others were due to flat-out stupidity and/or bullheadedness. Still others were the result of frustration, anger, jealousy, the usual gamut of emotions most humans experience at one time or another, especially when younger. There were even times when I tried to do something nice, only to see it blow up into something terrible. It happens.
Consequently, I've eaten a lot of the proverbial crow/humble pie, apologized countless times, bought flowers and other goodies when I thought it might help smooth things over, and otherwise tried to atone for these misdeeds. It seemed the least I could do.
But the #1 most important thing all along was -- I had to own it. No deflections (but Billy did the same thing, why am I in trouble?), no changing the subject, no excuses. Period.
Enter Will Cain, the ESPN radio/TV talking sports head. It has become apparent the good Mr. Cain seems to think he can say or do no wrong. He's always right. Just ask him. Anybody that disagrees with one of his opinions Cain will deem a fool to be scoffed at.
On a recent show, Cain was musing about Lebron James and a few of his Cleveland Cavalier teammates appearing to "throw in the towel" -- give up, late in Game Two of the NBA Finals.
This was not acceptable to Cain.
"SUCK IT UP!!", he exhorted. [Just when you think you don't have anything more to give -- of course you do, if you can reach down deep enough and have the willpower to bring it out.]
Cain would go on to use the analogy of a marathon runner. Would one of them "wimp out" after 24 miles with only 2 miles to go? Of course not. They'd suck it up and find a way to finish.
Easy for him so say, having admitted he'd never even attempted to run a marathon, hence is clueless to the agony a participant endures towards the latter stages of such a grueling race.
Full disclosure here. No, I've never tried to run a marathon either. But I know people who have, and they say it's the hardest, most physically (and mentally) demanding thing they've ever done. So I take them at their word.
Cain seems to think one always has a reserve of hidden energy, if only they have the gumption to summon it.
Perhaps a different analogy is in order.
If your car runs out of gasoline, having consumed the last drop in the tank, it's dead -- now. You can crank the starter until the battery is completely dead as well, but guess what? It's not going to start, no matter how much you "will" it to. Out of gas is out of gas. Period.
I would suggest the same is true of humans as well, no matter how well conditioned they are. Everybody has their physical and/or mental "limits", and when it's reached, like the car with a gas gauge that reads "E", they're not going anywhere further either. At least not for a while, until they can rest and refuel.
This concept seems lost on Will Cain. True, he runs his own 3 hour talk-a-thon every afternoon on ESPN, but I would suggest his idea of "sucking it up" is vastly different from those that actually participate in the contests he comments on. They're DOING it. Cain only yaps about it.
No, I wouldn't expect a person like Will Cain to admit he's ever wrong. It's not in his DNA to do so.
Yet perhaps, as he gets older, and hopefully more mature about the ways of the world, he'll come to understand and appreciate the incredible efforts so many athletes put into their work.
If they deem themselves "out of gas", well maybe, just maybe, they really are.
And all the "suck it up" mentality in the world doesn't matter.
You can't summon up what you don't have.
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