Cheating, Lying, Doping – a philosophy of failure
I’ve been following the coverage of doping in the cycling world over at Bicycle.Net
and thinking a bit about the nature and value of sports.
In the 1730s the RamChaL, an Italian Jewish philosopher and Kabbalistic mystic, wrote a guidebook to doping and cheating in sports. Well, he probably didn’t have sports in mind when he originally wrote it, but his insight into the true costs of performance enhancements, drugs, and other forms of cheating speak right to the heart of the subject.
The RamChal taught that a “Good” is only truly good and rewarding if a person knows that he has earned it, and not if he is merely accidentally associated with it. Thus, if everyone gets a gold star, or a plaque saying “worlds greatest”, everyone knows that it really means nothing. In fact, when someone praises you for something that you know you didn’t do, it actually feels kind of cheap and dirty. In contrast, when you dig deep and really struggle and work to accomplish a goal, and those who understand what you’ve put into it acknowledge it, the lift you feel is deep, honest and real. When your opponent grudgingly wipes the dirt from his face, nods, and says “good game” you know you’ve done something. Doesn’t really matter who has the points.
Human beings want to feel meaningful, strong, accomplished. They want to face challenges and through force of character, strength of will and body, teamwork and skill overcome obstacles. Man is driven to climb mountains and know that through his strength he has conquered. Sport is a systematic packaging of obstacles designed to test you, challenge you and refine you.
Sport ultimately rests on one conflict: Your will to accomplish a set goal, is thwarted and frustrated by external factors (opponents, physics etc.) Facing that frustration and striving to overcome it generates all of the power of sport. Cheating or artificially enhancing your capabilities removes that challenge and eliminates the heart of the game. You might still get a yellow jersey, a gold medal, or even a homerun title, but you’ve diminished your soul. In the ultimate battle of will versus the external world, you’ve surrendered and lost. You have a prize but no victory.
May 29th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
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