As the tempest of time marches mercilessly towards yet another milestone, it is time once again for human beings to ponder, reflect, and assess their progress, or lack of it. Personal introspection is probably all the more important in this light. But an overall, top-view barometer would also be beneficial in understanding, somewhat, the ramifications of our actions at the global level.
And while such grandiose analyses are actually better left to economists, scientists, philosophers, and so-called world leaders to undertake, this writer wishes simply to suggest a more sportsmanlike collective conduct for humanity as a whole. Being of sporting comportment is the way to live, and sporting is the way to be. Anyone who has stepped onto a play zone or a sports arena would have been told by his first coach to follow certain rules and to behave in a sporting manner.
Whether the said coach himself was endowed with the propensity to follow such guidelines is another matter. But the fact is that a child learns very early to conduct himself in a certain way, and this comes from his early years in school, more so on the sports field. That seemingly horrible moment when a toddler loses his first race and feels like contorting his face into a weepy expression, whilst also wanting to punch the victor in the face, is a moment of reckoning. Defeat has never been part of the plan for the rather mollycoddled toddlers of today. They have never faced adversity, have seldom been rebuked, and have usually been able to gorge upon chocolate after chocolate thanks to their Blinkit-happy parents!
Yet a school and its teachers, including sports teachers, usually ensure that such spoilt kids learn to accept defeat or setbacks with at least a modicum of grace and equanimity. And while differing personalities exhibit varying levels of sportsmanlike conduct, or otherwise, on and off the field, they all know what the right thing to do is. Arguing aggressively with the referee, slamming a racket on the ground, threatening an opponent with a cricket bat, and even digging up the pitch are some ways in which errant and ill-behaved sportspersons may choose to display their angst. Personality disorders, the heat of the moment, and extraneous factors notwithstanding, such behaviour is against the norms of good conduct in sport. No one will condone such boorish behaviour, even if the perpetrator in question has been woefully wronged by the authorities or by an opponent.
{{/usCountry}}Yet a school and its teachers, including sports teachers, usually ensure that such spoilt kids learn to accept defeat or setbacks with at least a modicum of grace and equanimity. And while differing personalities exhibit varying levels of sportsmanlike conduct, or otherwise, on and off the field, they all know what the right thing to do is. Arguing aggressively with the referee, slamming a racket on the ground, threatening an opponent with a cricket bat, and even digging up the pitch are some ways in which errant and ill-behaved sportspersons may choose to display their angst. Personality disorders, the heat of the moment, and extraneous factors notwithstanding, such behaviour is against the norms of good conduct in sport. No one will condone such boorish behaviour, even if the perpetrator in question has been woefully wronged by the authorities or by an opponent.
{{/usCountry}}In life too, we find many situations wherein we tend to lose our cool and blow our tops, at times without reason. A gentler, more empathetic, and balanced response to the myriad provocations that life and its actors present before us is only going to benefit our own selves. Sportspersons know how to handle reverses and failures much better than others, in general; although there are many exceptions to this rule. Sportsmen know that their time will come on another day, and that it is best to let fate have its way when it seems determined to pull the rug from under their feet. But the larger mandate of all grown-ups should be to stop being ‘groan-ups’.
To lose one’s shape in varied situations, even at the slightest hint of a challenging tangle, is a very easy, down-sliding tendency. To swim against the tide and maintain one’s equipoise is a major victory for an individual, of character, and even of courage. Many a batsman who has been given out incorrectly has bitten his tongue and remained non-remonstrative. Conversely, many of us seem to find fault with and complain about every gust of wind that blows our way.
The question thus arises, when we search our beings from within, whether we ourselves are sporting in our demeanour or not. Those who are helpful to others are often, funnily enough, referred to in North India as being of a ‘supporting’ nature. Whatever the nomenclature that the observer intends to use, the point remains that some of us are generally well-behaved children of the Almighty, while others are definitely not.
And thus, while the strands of time keep up their inexorable tempo, the hearts of human beings need to gaze within, and become innately more sporting.
vivek.atray@gmail.com