There is no "I" in "TEAM"

I am absolutely disgusted. I cannot believe the arrogance, immaturity, self-righteousness, selfishness, and lack of not only class, but character as well that is being shown. I will not speak of any specifics but I can’t just sit here and be silent.
If you are reading this you probably know me…we have met once upon a time…and you probably know that my mouth has a tendency to get me in trouble. I already know of at least one person who will probably be disappointed that I decided to post this blog but I honestly can’t just sit here. I have to share my opinions…it is what I do. So yes, this may be crazy but this situation has me fired up.
This week something happened. I won’t say what, and it doesn’t involve me at all. I heard about it from a few different places and the absurdity of the situation took me by surprise at first, but as I watched things unfold over the last few days, I began to get that surprise quickly turned to anger.
Maybe this is just how I was raised, but I am a believer in finishing what you start. It is just understood that walking out is out of the realm of possibility. If you make a commitment to someone, or many people, you are expected to follow through and get the job done. One of my favorite sayings is, “When the going gets tough, get tough or get going.” Normally, people choose the “get tough” part, but in the particular case I am referring to for this entire post, the person, or rather, people, decided to “get going”. They did not stick with their commitments to their friends, family, teammates, or fans. Yes, I am referring to sports. Now, you may not be a sports fan, but stick with me…you might agree, you might disagree. But when a person is put into a position of leadership on a team, whether deserved or not, they have the obligation to be there for their team, through thick and thin, good decisions and bad, etc… If a coach makes a decision you don’t agree with, you grin and bear it, you get over it and move on. You have GOT to understand that the coach has some reason for making the decision. He didn’t make the decision to specifically punish you, it is not any kind of a personal attack, it was probably just in the best interest of the team as a whole. So for someone to walk out on their team because of some silly disagreement is absolutely disgusting to me.
I can guarantee you my brother or I would have even thought about pulling a stunt like this my dad would have marched us right back up to the school and apologize over the loud speaker. He would have told us we had to stick with it at least until the end of the season and we could re-evaluate after that. I can also guarantee you of a few things he would NEVER let us do. He would never let us walk out on our team, never EVER let us miss school because we couldn’t face the people we were voluntarily letting down, and under NO circumstances would he ever let us show up to gloat when it was all said and done. He would make sure I didn’t leave my house for a solid 3 months for anything other than school, church, or work. I’m sure if I were in this situation, my dad would say, “you know, you screwed up and need to make things right again.” Instead of letting me make a major mistake, even if I didn’t think it was a mistake at all. But not everyone is like that. Some people let their kids make horrible mistakes.
The recent turn of events has shown that some people just don’t have any class, or better yet, any character. They honestly believe that the world revolves around them and if anything happens that goes against their plans, then to hell with it. Those people will soon find their bubbles popped and their worlds crashing down around them. If they continue down the road they are on, walking out anytime there is a dispute or hardship, they will lead a terribly lonely life.
This is a character problem. Or, I guess I should say, a LACK of character problem, stemming from the presence of parents who let their kids do what they want and “make their own decisions” instead of helping them make the right ones. I know, I know, I am blaming the parents, but when we were discussing this post my dad said, “I may yell at the kids, but at least I don’t lead them down the wrong path.” I can honestly say though, that what has happened is probably for the best. 1. We can now see through all the smoke and mirror and see the kind of people they really are. 2. We can see that just because someone is in a position of leadership does not necessarily mean they deserve to be there, or that they can handle the pressures and consequences of being the leader. 3. I have learned that I would rather LOSE with dignity and class and honor, than to win with selfishness. 4. I’ve learned that no matter what, there is always a positive side of things…it is all a matter of perspective. 5. trust is the easiest thing to lose, and the hardest thing to build. 6. winning isn’t everything. 7. I may not have liked it at the time, but my parents knew what they were doing and made me do what was best for not only me, but those around me who would be affected by my decision and guided me through to make the correct decision. They made me take the fall when I was wrong and helped me through when I was being punished for my actions. They taught me to be the best I can be and to always try to have a good attitude. I really do think I have the best parents in the world. (sorry other parents reading). I faced the consequences when I was wrong instead of running away from everything and everyone. I was forced to take the criticisms and I am better because of it.
I am going to end now on this final note…It is another one of my dad’s favorite quotes. Think about it in this context and feel free to question, comment, or argue with anything I say.

“Usually when someone thinks they’ve arrived, they ain’t.”

No one part is bigger than the whole, we’ve got to remember that.