Theos-Talk Archives (September 1994 Message tl00040)

Hello all.

When I have discussed with people about sports, they often point
out, that sports have good physical effects.  I can't deny that
there are those.  Again it is the motive what counts.  Many
"sports", if you really compete, are not fun.  It is hard job.
So why millions of young people commit various sport.  Because of
physical fitness and well being? I doubt.  If I analyse the usual
motives behind "sports", I find 3.  main categories of motives:

1.  Fame, Name, Glory, Urge to show up, to be something, to be
better.

2.  Money.

3.  Leisure, killing time.

4.  Physical fitness.  (Mostly desire to "look good", etc.)

I'm not against physical exercise, I'm against "sports".  Sports
should be as a play, as children play, if they are not misguided
by elder people.  Sports should be for fun and recuperation,
self-discovering, etc.

If you ask what is the motive, and philosophy, why people should
commit sports, e.g.  some coach or a member of some sport
committee, I bet you don't get any sensible answers, at least you
won't get any spiritual reasons.

So by "sports" we get physical results.  But how about spiritual
damage and spiritual goals?

I also compare physical development to other capabilities, e.g.
mental ability.  A naive analogy: "Mental wit and sharpness,
logic, etc.  is desirable.  So we want to enhance it.  Thinking
and discussing is a good way to improve it.  So why not set up
insult-contests, a competition who is the best at making worst
and most humiliating arguments, who is the most witty." At this
context this analogy is absurd, but this is just what people do
in sports in a name of physical fitness.

Please don't get offended.  This is not against you.  I agree
many of your arguments, to which I now did not answer, and there
is many (maybe some) aspects in sports, which are good.  They
appear usually when we reject this competitive attitude, and then
I would not use word "sport" any more.

I myself practice quite a lot of physical exercise, mainly Tai
Chi, (or Taiji in Pinyin) and soft martial arts, such as Aikido,
occasional hanggliding is the ultimate fun for me, (also some
spiritual points, I want to believe).

     Playfulness and Bliss to all competitive beings.

     Peace. aki