"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests".
- Epictetus
After last Sunday’s game against Pumas I can now confidently say that the magic has returned. The Fusion and Rebirth of La Nacion Chiva has come full circle. Still it is not yet time to call it complete. There is still much to do and more to grow.
YES! Regreso la comunion to the Red & White! But this is far from finished. The completion of the first objective is the beginning of the next one.
Let me clarify. Defeating Pumas was a pit stop. Defeating our crosstown rivals in El Clasico will also not be the final objective. Just another pit-stop.
Of course, we want La Copa. Who in their right mind would not? Yet, with all the fanfare and media circus it is easy for us to deviate from the true objective of sport, which is to strengthen mind, body and soul.
Philosophy and Sport are two forms of knowledge that start from a common point: training. Training of both the body and the mind.
If you have been following along with my Stoic Philosophy Binge, you will understand that the central idea of stoicism is the dichotomy of control. In other words, the ability to divide things into those we can control and those we cannot.
In sport, for example, the athlete cannot anticipate victory, they can only prepare for it through training. Victory is beyond the athlete's power to control, but he can work hard to achieve it. We are masters of our actions. The rest is beyond our control.
Our Red and White Clad Lads are on this path of discovery. We have been witness to their growth and renewal. The five-game winning streak testament to an effort to transcend and leave a mark. Transcend and grow.
So yes, the Thirteenth Star can be seen as the ultimate reward at the end of the Red and White tinted Rainbow and for many perhaps the only acceptable end to a very upside-down season.
Still if one looks closely, you can see the boys have grown in more ways than one. There is a different spring in their step, a squareness to their shoulders, a glint in the eye. One of determination, born from hardship and struggle. This Band of Brothers will not go quietly into the night. These men forged on the flames of adversity are now men of true grit. This is the Chiva Way.
