It was 1986, and I sat in a darkened theater and watched a movie that to this day remains my all-time favorite. I explain to people that “Hoosiers," starring Gene Hackman, is about so much more than basketball. It is a film with one scene after another that elevates “Hoosiers” to much more than a simple story about redemption and overcoming the odds. Filled with numerous memorable scenes, a favorite of mine isn’t one that immediately comes to mind for fans of the movie.
Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) is the new coach at Hickory High, a school with a small enrollment and a gargantuan love of basketball. Coaching under the watchful eye of a never ending parade of skeptics, Dale is charged with the task of leading the undersized Huskers to a successful season. However, he is at a significant disadvantage as the school’s superstar player and local hero, Jimmy Chitwood, has decided to sit out a season since he was extremely close to the former coach who passed away. In this scene, Dale is introducing the team at a school pep rally. Things get uncomfortable when the crowd starts chanting for Chitwood. Dale approaches the mic, quiets the crowd and makes this impassioned speech:
“I was hoping you would support who we are, not who we are not. These six individuals have made the choice to work, to sacrifice, to put themselves on the line 23 times in the next four months to represent you, this high school. That kind of commitment and effort deserves and demands your respect. This is your team.”
I love this scene. “I was hoping you would support who we are, not who we are not.” What if we applied these words to just about any person or situation in our lives? I know I’ve talked about this before, but I see this scene as representative of an American society that finds happiness so elusive. We are constantly disappointed because someone or something did not live up to our expectations. Our house is too small, our car is too old, our job is boring, our friend isn’t punctual, our neighbors aren’t tidy, our coworkers are too loud, our family is too nosy, our kid isn’t good at math, and the list goes on and on. We trudge through life wishing this person or that thing was different in some way that would benefit us. We can’t see the good because we’re too focused on the blemishes.
I never write about something I’m not guilty of myself. That’s one motivation for writing this blog. It forces me to analyze my own life, to identify weaknesses and try, albeit sometimes unwillingly, to change my mindset. This week, I’m taking Coach Dale’s words to heart. I would hope that the people closest to me would love and support me for the person I am and am striving to be, rather than only criticize me for the areas I need to improve. As I take inventory of my life, I’m trying harder to complain less and celebrate the people and events in my life more; to see the paradise in front of me every day. After all, there is good in nearly every person and situation, and what a shame it is to miss that truth.
Happy Friday everyone, and, as always, thanks for reading.
“I was hoping you would support who we are, not who we are not. These six individuals have made the choice to work, to sacrifice, to put themselves on the line 23 times in the next four months to represent you, this high school. That kind of commitment and effort deserves and demands your respect. This is your team.”
I love this scene. “I was hoping you would support who we are, not who we are not.” What if we applied these words to just about any person or situation in our lives? I know I’ve talked about this before, but I see this scene as representative of an American society that finds happiness so elusive. We are constantly disappointed because someone or something did not live up to our expectations. Our house is too small, our car is too old, our job is boring, our friend isn’t punctual, our neighbors aren’t tidy, our coworkers are too loud, our family is too nosy, our kid isn’t good at math, and the list goes on and on. We trudge through life wishing this person or that thing was different in some way that would benefit us. We can’t see the good because we’re too focused on the blemishes.
I never write about something I’m not guilty of myself. That’s one motivation for writing this blog. It forces me to analyze my own life, to identify weaknesses and try, albeit sometimes unwillingly, to change my mindset. This week, I’m taking Coach Dale’s words to heart. I would hope that the people closest to me would love and support me for the person I am and am striving to be, rather than only criticize me for the areas I need to improve. As I take inventory of my life, I’m trying harder to complain less and celebrate the people and events in my life more; to see the paradise in front of me every day. After all, there is good in nearly every person and situation, and what a shame it is to miss that truth.
Happy Friday everyone, and, as always, thanks for reading.