So, I remember watching Bruce Jenner win the gold. It was truly an epic athletic performance, demonstrating an overall athletic ability that truly was remarkable. It was not a courageous thing, but it was well done and without the ARod school of pharmacopia success. There were many things to be respected in that performance.
It was, however, at a game. Were the events tied to natural disasters, and you had to leap over downed electrical lines to save a baby, then outrun the wild dogs chasing you both, then throw your spear perfectly to kill food, and you and the kid survived, that would be courageous. There was risk and potential for tragedy. Courage is facing imminent tragedy or injury and perservering through the action to coompletion. Disregarding one's own comfort and safety to achieve an objective fraught with risk is how you demonstrate courage.
Competing, even against better athletes, in a game, is not courageous. It is evidence of discipline, skill and ability. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. But, it is not courageous. Playing ice hockey on a sled after you have been paralyzed is not courageous either. It is competing in a game, no danger, just competition. It is admirable and a good thing, but not courageous.
We associate courage with the wrong aspects of our life. It should never be tied up in sports. Courage should be honored, athletic ability and performance should be acknowledged. There is a very big difference. If you have ever thought you should be honored and were acknowledged instead, you have never forgotten it. It is instantly revealing and quite permanent in your psyche.
Acknowledging Neil Armstrong's small step, instead of honoring his giant leap would be wrong. Honoring Lebron's latest triple double is wrong as well. Courage is selfless, non-profiting action beyond expectations, outside the norm. Acknowledgement for that level of activity is inappropriate. Expecting honor for winning the race is inappropriate.
Enough on the dead horse, what is my point here? Well, it does not naturally follow that an athlete, even a great one, is courageous. It does not naturally follow that a courageous person is athletic. There is no correlation, because there is no relation in where they come from.
This celebration of the courage of Bruce Jenner, to live as Caitlyn, is probably deserved. There is risk and danger associated with this kind of change and adoption of this kind of lifestyle. It may not be, I have not decided how I see this yet. It is self serving, and does not involve selflessness on the part of others. It is leadership, or at least demonstration of beliefs and integrity. There is a lot going on in this discussion.
But, it is not courageous because he was a great athlete. It is actually immaterial as to whether he (or she) was athletic at all. This arena is self awareness, morality and integrity of character. Believe what you will of homosexuality and transgender issues, there is nothing quite so concerning to one's income as a person famous for reality TV, as the dice roll as to how being transgendered would play out. There was risk, public humiliation and loss of friends and family rolled up in this coming out thing.
I am Christian, there is no question as to my reading of the Bible, that there is significant sin tied up in this. Honestly, there is nothing that any of us do, that is not wrapped up in significant sin. We all face that possibility continually and collectively. I don't know why there are transgendered people. I do not suffer from confusion as to my gender identity. I have not dealt with that in my life.
I don't know where it comes from, in the insides of our minds and emotions. I don't really want to know. I know a lot of gay people. Some of them are just terrible human beings, not because they are gay, but because they are just naturally terrible people. I also know several that are trustworthy, intelligent, caring, and valued friends. I cannot judge them because of that particular sin, as I do not wish to be judged myself. I have other issues, but they are no less important to God, because they are not homosexuality.
But, there is a good bit of courage in doing, saying, being and living as Bruce/Caitlyn have chosen to live. I do not confuse that with admiring the lifestyle. It confuses me that (s)he claims to only be attracted to women, yet is sure (s)he is a woman in a man's body. So, she is really a lesbian trapped in a man's body. I don't get it, except that gender and sexuality are entirely different developments as we grow. Gender is perception and perceptible. Sexuality is attraction and inperceptible.
So, I have the same sexuality as Bruce/Caitlyn. I am only linterested in women. However, I am positive I have the right plumbing. It can not be easy to be doing what Caitlyn Jenner is doing. Regardless of your personal belief system, it has to be understood that this plays out to a broad, huge audience that never stops staring, judging and being human. Some humans are dangerous.
They blow themselves up on buses and fly planes into buildings over these kinds of things. There is a large population of the world that considers it legal, acceptable and religiously required to kill people like Jenner. Being so public brings it's own risk. We can't predict who will do what, but there is no denying that Jenner's risk profile changed significantly with that Vanity Fair cover.
All kinds of crazies inhabit the world. The radical Muslims and Christians are equally dangerous, for the same reason. They have their morality to stand behind. God told them to do it, whatever it is. And, nothing we say, think or believe will dissuade them. Oddly, we are convinced in our society that we can rehabilitate every kind of screwed up jerk off that sells dope and steals for dope. Yet, we know instinctively that there is no rehabilitation for the sickness of radicalism.
Caitlyn is being courageous. I don't deny that. The Sports Illustrated courage award thing confuses me. Folks that compete in spite of cancer, overcome disabling injury to edify and encourage others, continue to pursue their dream into reality, those are sports things that could be courageous.
Putting hormones in your body is disqualifying in most sports. It should have been in this situation as well. Caitlyn is courageous, and I hope it turns out well for her and her family. (That bunch is so junkball screwed up, they may not even notice this).
I think Sports Illustrated got it wrong, and not because it is wrapped up in the gay/moral questions we constantly fixate on. It was wrong because this is not sport. Were Caitlyn to go win a spot on the Senior Olympics Decathalon Squad, then it would be about sports. (Do they even do decathalon anymore?) As it stands, it is about Vanity Fair, keeping up with the Jackassshians, and a whole bunch of stuff off the court of competition.
Just my thoughts, but Sports Illustrated has been off for a long time. So has Time, Newsweek and the others. Objective journalism and unbiased news no longer exists. And that is our own fault.
Love you all.
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