Gongol.com Archives: July 2025
July 21, 2025
Since, for the most part, we no longer depend upon sports as a means to literally rehearse for combat, sports have comfortably moved into position as one of the primary means of mass entertainment in modern society. The entertainment aspect to the business has grown so large that premier professional athletes in the most-watched games rake in truly astonishing sums of money. Their elite pay, in turn, can have the effect of removing athletes from the realm of normalcy. It's hard to be down-to-earth when you're traveling with an entourage. ■ This is unfortunate, since the broad appeal of many high-profile athletes (and some coaches) gives them some of the biggest platforms to try to influence the public at large. They may not always have conventional "book learning" genius to share, but character doesn't depend on IQ. ■ Under these circumstances, it is refreshing to hear from the world's current most dominant golfer that he knows the limits of his work on the course. Addressing the press, Scottie Scheffler drew upon some of the wisdom of character when he remarked of his success, "It's fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it's not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart [...] If my golf ever started affecting my home life, or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living." ■ One could argue that his enormous success gives him the freedom to make a threat like that -- $91 million in winnings (and counting) is a pretty big cushion. But one could conversely argue that it's all the more laudable for Scheffler to say something like that, knowing how many people undoubtedly envy his skills and talents -- and his wealth -- and that he publicly embraces the attitude that his family life is worth even more than $91 million.
NPR asks its audience for "the books you read during high school that helped shape who you are today". ■ Nearly every American high schooler would benefit from reading "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" and "Up from Slavery" by Booker T. Washington. The merits of both books are two-fold: They tell necessary stories about our history while offering life advice that remains timely and relevant today. ■ Franklin tells the story of a young man with some extraordinary gifts who overcame early difficulties before growing into one of the country's most influential founders. Washington's story is one of the clearest depictions of the consequences of America's original sin, but it's much more transcendent than just that. His abilities were great, but his reservoir of character was even greater -- and is still worthy of emulation. For as self-made as Franklin could rightly claim to be, Washington was even moreso. ■ Franklin was intrinsically motivated to pursue greatness, and he achieved it. Washington was driven to serve others ("I began learning that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. This lesson I have tried to carry with me ever since."). That both men were able to make vast contributions that still matter to America today speaks to the power of individual liberty, and what a person can do when both motivated and free.
