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Nathaniel
Shockey
Read Nathaniel's bio and previous columns
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November 12, 2007
No, You Just Think
It’s the Most Incredible
Last year, the Golden State Warriors completed the greatest first
round upset in the history of the NBA playoffs. This year, Barry Bonds
broke the most important record in all of sports.
Coincidentally, the Colorado Rockies just went on the most amazing
streak in baseball history, followed by the second greatest
comeback in baseball history by the Red Sox, surpassed only by their
comeback only three years prior. And let’s not forget, we just witnessed
the most climactic regular season football game featuring the
greatest rivalry in the NFL today, the New England Patriots and
Indianapolis Colts.
On a political note, 2004 was the most important presidential
election of our generation. And for what it’s worth, the war in Iraq is
the biggest military blunder in our country’s short history,
perpetrated by the worst president ever – or at least that’s what
the talking heads on TV keep telling me.
With all of these unprecedented events happening right now, one can only
imagine how incredibly boring the previous 230-odd years must have been
for our American ancestors.
But interestingly enough, history has consistently proven that the most
important events occurred when we were distracted by something else. Tom
Brady, for example, was drafted 199th overall in the 2000 NFL
draft, while everyone was buzzing about Courtney Brown (a defensive end
drafted by the Browns). Randy Moss, likewise, was drafted 21st
overall, overshadowed by 19 guys you’ve probably completely forgotten
about (and Peyton Manning, who you may have heard of once or twice).
Who would have ever thought that Franklin Delano Roosevelt, often
credited to have single-handedly dragged our country out of the
depression, would one day be considered by many to be responsible for a
whole heap of government programs that have kept America from its
original dream of having a small government in the hands of the
majority, as opposed to a big government in the hands of a too small
few? Who would have ever thought that one lady’s refusal to give up her
seat on a bus would violently catalyze the much-needed healing process
of a country’s gaping moral wound?
But our culture’s obsession with drama seems to have turned us all a bit
stupid. If this isn’t the most dramatic episode of “The Bachelor” yet,
I’m not sure I want anything to do with it. And quite frankly, if 2008
isn’t the most important presidential election yet, do I really need to
vote? And most importantly, if the Colts-Pats game wasn’t the most
exciting regular season game of all time, then who the hell cares?
Perhaps nothing is truly sacred unless it’s happening right now. But if
that’s the case, then let’s face it, sacredness isn’t what it used to
be.
We try so hard to convince ourselves that we are witnessing something
spectacular, when more often then not, that which captures our attention
won’t command even a sentence in the pages of history.
One of
my favorite lines from the movie “The Incredibles” is when Elastigirl
(Mrs. Incredible) says to her son Dash, “Everyone’s special,” to which
he replies, “Which is just another way of saying no one is.”
Whether
we accept it or not, a lot of lifetimes will come and go without ever
making a splash. Entire sports seasons will occur without setting any
new meaningful records. And by the way, my guess is that in a hundred
years or so, more than half of our high school graduates won’t know who
the hell Bill Clinton is. That’s just life. We’re all kind of stupid
like that.
But as
long as we’re in denial about everyone and everything being the best,
worst, most important something, then those things that matter the most
will almost certainly transpire while we’re not even looking.
And perhaps it’s worth reminding ourselves that, even if we didn’t
invent the Internet, save the world, or win an Oscar and a Nobel Peace
Prize, our lives still matter. Our impact is no less just because our
names never appeared on the front page of the paper. I think that some
of the most wonderful, exceptional people could be compared to a high
diver. Their lives are quiet and beautiful, powerful and graceful. Their
impact is profound and deep, without making even the tiniest splash.
© 2007
North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.
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