Living the Paradox

"To me, life is all about living it with full passion and zest and with arms wide open. At the same time, understand on one level the meaninglessness of it, and on the other level, living like it means everything. In a way, that's what sports is all about."

-- Gary Smith

Ok, which is it? Is life meaningless or is it all important? Both. Or at least, it can be seen as both. Ultimately it is meaningless, but on a day-to-day basis, we live it to the best of our ability as if it matters. Why? What other reason is there to play a game other than to enjoy doing your best?

You may be like Holden Caufield, the protagonist of J.D. Salinger's novel Catcher in the Rye. He says he hates it when people say "life's a game." Sure, it's a game if you're on the winning team, Holden opines. But if you're not on the side of the winners, life's not a game at all, he thinks. And while I respect Holden's opinion (as much as you can respect the opinion of an imaginary character), I think he misunderstands the very nature of play. You don't play a game to win. You play a game because you love to play. It's the playing itself that matters, much more than the winning or losing.

And that's why people use sports metaphors so often when talking about life. Sooner or later in the Game of Life, everyone loses. Death is the final winner. Like a long, boring soccer game, the final score is always the same -- Death 1, Humanity 0. And yet the final score doesn't matter. The joy, the exuberance, the challenges experienced day-to-day are what matter.

The term used in Hinduism is lila, which loosely translated means "divine play." Life is divine play, and we're the divine players. No ultimate meaning to the game, and yet you play your heart out. And, when your heart finally gives out altogether, game over, but only for you. The game goes on with literally, "wet behind the ears" rookies and wily veterans, with young turks and old crones both playing their parts to the hilt. The game always transcends any one player, no matter how skilled or accomplished that player may be.

But today, you're still here. You're still in the game. Why not enjoy it? Passion and zest. Arms wide open. As it says above the tunnel leading from the Notre Dame locker room to the football field, "Play like a champion today."