X's & O's

Salé, Randy, Conor, and I having a great night in Niš.

Change. It can be for the better, or what seems for the better at the time, and later it might not turn out the way a person had anticipated as "improved". As in anything, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and sometimes, it can be difficult to see. During a time of struggle it may seem like a bad decision lead to these crossroads, but "change" takes over the situation through the process of time and may have earned a positive end result that wasn't very clear from the beginning.

Sometimes people think that change is necessary, why? Because it helps us to grow, build on what we understand now and help to process what's before us. In my opinion, the more change a person undergoes the more they can comprehend and apply to not only themselves but their surroundings, and in-turn help improve their pursuit of happiness. An often used saying is, "Get out of your comfort zone". The reason for that is, to learn how to adapt, accept, and appreciate these new situations for the future.

A person that has never been forced to find shelter in the wilderness, would consider it "the worst night of their life". A person, who has never been poor, would not enjoy wearing clothes and shoes that don't fit properly, even when they should be happy to have any clothing at all. An athlete that has never lost, doesn't know how to loathe losing and value winning. A couple that has been together for 6 months decides to break up, they get back together a week later because they don't know anything else. So again, they retreat to the "comfort zone", and in-turn prove that they have a weak understanding of change and how it works. Unless, they had been there before, performed these tasks, and learned to understand and appreciate the reason for what and why they're doing it.

The same goes for people adjusting to new surroundings. If you never leave a place, of course you're not going to have any understanding or appreciation for anything that is different. Just like I said above, I feel that the more a person experiences, the more they can shape what they are attracted to whether it be a surrounding, people, food, weather, language, anything. It's a huge struggle with the human mind on how we want to take our approach to life. There are those that think the more we see and are exposed to, the more educated and worldly we are. Then, there is the opposite where they appreciate the small world that they live in and don't want to be exposed to anything else, for it would tarnish their already "perfect" view on how they enjoy the things around them and have found a "true love" within the little amount that they know and understand.

Today, in a world where people from all over the globe can come and go as they please, there are all kinds of variations of cultures, people, and surroundings where a person is exposed to a lot overtime; that person takes in every little detail and experience that adds up to an extremely encompassing view of the world. In the age that we are living now, the world grows smaller and smaller everyday, more and more people have the opportunities to discover and that's a beautiful thing. In a huge place like New York the start of something new is happening whereas in comparison to small town Nebraska for example; they never leave, find the person that they think is the most beautiful man or woman they've ever seen (probably is, since they have such a small sample size) and are content because they have no other knowledge. In relation to "traditional" American life, the population is told to live in a structured world where a married couple is supposed to "settle down", have children that live in the same place, they go to the same job everyday, with the same people, retire, and then are told to explore during retirement?

I feel that's a backwards practice in relation to where today's age is headed. You see movies where the kids are being pulled from their schools because their parents got a new job and the parents feel horrible because the children have never experienced this idea of change. If your children were constantly learning, applying, and understanding new things then there would be no remorse when they leave their friends. They would be happy to have shared the time they did with those people and begin looking forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.

Bare with me for a paragraph. Just because thousands of years ago humans shaped the world around having to settle in a place for lack of travel and communication alternatives doesn't mean that the world can't slowly adjust to this new way of life. I know this idea is drastically ahead of it's time, but just be open to the thought of networking with people all around the world with today's technology and ability to travel. Video feed, airplanes, cell phones, and social networking sites have replaced postal services, ground transportation, and the term "distance" is a word of the past. The new world is smashing into the old and running it into the ground with a force that no one could have ever imagined. Why not have great times and friends in Japan, Alaska, Kentucky, Turkey, France, and Australia?

An elementary view that may give you a better understanding of what I'm talking about is, The Wild Thornberry's. Eliza is the main character, she travels the world with her family, meets so many types of animals and people that all have different lives, traditions, beliefs, and surroundings. The family is specifically designed to show diversity and express a worldly appreciation of people and beliefs. Anyone watching is exposed to the idea of accepting differences and experiences in a way that helps to shape Eliza into the beautiful person that she is and the understanding that she has about the world. No matter what scenario is placed in front of her, Eliza knows how to adapt because she has done it her entire life.

Of course, not everyone's father is a traveling nature show host that lives in an awesome "magic school bus" type of RV. But a more realistic style applies to our lives today, study abroad programs in colleges, the growing number of people that fly, and modern networking is edging the human race closer and closer to this new way of life. We are a generation that is torn up in the middle of this noteworthy change in history and a lot of us have yet to realize it.

I would go as far as comparing it to old Western movies where a "new cowboy" struts into town and the first thing out of the townies mouths are "He ain't from these parts." In 200 years, if we haven't blown up the world yet, nobody will know where anyone else is from just by looking at them. More people are learning the languages of other continents, racial barriers are being knocked down, and moves are being made to distribute wealth more evenly among the population. A birthplace will simply be known as a starting point in a beautiful journey that covers a wide array of people, beliefs, places, and experiences.

We're not there yet because time and change go hand in hand, but every day we move a step closer. Today, a lot of people can't afford to travel and share experiences in the way that I speak of them. Many still choose to live a small life and are happy for it. But, like many things in the world, it's a percentage game and slowly but surely I believe we're moving in the right direction when it comes to this aspect of life. I've been blessed to have been born in the United States, be a person of multiple races, and was raised in a way to have an open mind about the world. The picture at the top represents more than just great friends but a Serbian, an African American/Cuban, an Irishman, and an Asian/Caucasian that happened to be united through the game of football and the English language.


I can't wait for the opportunity to show my children and family this view of "the big picture". But even more important, I hope that the world begins to embrace it.

-One Life

"Let me see."

Randy and I are waiting for our 3rd roommate to arrive in a couple days, a quarterback named Conor Price from Georgia. He asked both of us how we were feeling about Serbia and the team etc. We both responded with "You'll just have to wait and see."

There was a reason for that, we didn't want to ruin anything for him that he can experience first hand. I read a theory in college about experiences and how artificial ones can take away from original first person views. For example: When we are in a Geography class about the Grand Canyon the teacher says, "Ok class, check out the pictures of this massive formation on page 27 of your textbook." You open it up and turn to that page and say, "Oh my goodness Ms.Smith that looks pretty big." That's that, you've seen it now and from that point on your original view is tarnished. When someone says have you ever "seen" the Grand Canyon you can respond with "yes".

Now, think back to an ancient explorer. He wakes up in the morning and decides to go for a walk in a new direction today. He's walking and sees a break in the trees. His first thought was probably, "Oh, I've reached the end of the forest." Then all of a sudden he stumbles upon, for the first time in his life, something he could never have imagined.  It was different in every way from anything he had ever "known" before, an all-engulfing, never ending, deep canyon, that for all he knows is the gateway to another world. He hasn't heard stories or descriptions or even folk tales of a place like this to fog his comprehension. If I had to guess, this person probably sat down in awe to take all of it in, or the exact opposite. He sprinted straight back to where his village was and probably attempted to describe this "un-Earthly" view and in-turn ruined it for others because his description, in no way, could do it justice.

For that man, the excitement and experience he had was as pure as they come. The same goes for a surprise birthday party that is a success or when someone is describing a story and they say "you had to be there". Both of these instances go back to this principle of first time emotions. We try to simulate these with "surprises" or scenarios that occur and will never be able to be reenacted. Like the first time you lay eyes on the person you want to spend the rest of your life with or a football player's first time putting pads on and the confusion that follows. These moments are extremely original and stick in our minds as an authentic view.

I try and apply this principle to my own life. When vacationing, most people look up pictures and post photos that they were given via a website. These photos are taken as what the photographer sees as the frame's "best moment". When you look at a picture of a dining area in Cancun, Mexico at the hotel you'll be staying at; it is probably taken at sunset, in summer, with every item in the frame perfectly placed to attempt and give you the sensation of "perfection". The truth is, you're going for Spring Break when the area looks it's worst, the chairs and umbrella have faded, the table setting is missing a salad fork, and the smell of a rotting coconut is nearby. Although the 2nd sounds worse, it is still an original experience. You have no prior view to judge this moment off of and in turn, it is "perfect". Anyone who is relatively familiar with Daoism has heard "No knowledge, is knowledge."

With my own moments in life, I strive to notice these times and let my mind really focus on what emotions, feelings, and sights are around me. In relation to football, at the end of the season when the seniors are finished and the team is at it's lowest or highest emotionally. I advise the younger players to really focus on remembering this moment of struggle. That feeling of conclusion, success or failure, happiness or sadness is crucial for future motivation and life experiences. You remember this so that you can go back there emotionally and mentally to recall the feelings you had and apply them to the present. 

This idea is often used with married couples whether they realize it or not. The wife says, "Do you remember the sunset on our first honeymoon night?" And the husband responds, "Of course I do, I'll never forget that for as long as I live." They smile, look each other in the eye and feel that same warmth that they shared in that moment of the past.

There is a quote that I got from Coach Anderson that reads something like this, "The best, shape the present to achieve the future that only they can see." When we remember what the feelings were in past experiences it helps motivate us to shape the present to earn those feelings again or avoid them for the future.

An excellent example in my life was when we beat Ankeny in the playoffs to go to the UNI-dome. I was sitting in the locker room after the game and I was so happy that I started to cry. My friend, Ben Burzacott was sitting nearby and he asked me, "Shane bro, you alright man? We won!" and all I could respond with was "We did it man, we did it." At that time I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of the past. All those hours of struggle and pushing my limits had paid off in a way that I felt accomplished, finally. I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life as the first time I had happy tears that forced me to reflect upon the past in a way I hadn't before.

Jordan, in exactly the moment I'm writing about.

He had this to use as motivation for the next 

5 championships the Chicago Bulls would win.

When speaking with people who have lived great moments they all seem to share a mutual reasoning, "Words cannot describe it." The motivation to actually live these moments drives us to do great things in the present and makes us experience things we might not have ever known were attainable had it not been for the burning desire to find the times that "words cannot even describe".

-One Life