Me and Willie Mays & Why Americans are Abandoning Both Political Parties
Trust in US Institutions at an All-Time Low, Death Cafes are a Good Idea, Backlash about Closing Splash Mountain, Jane Kristen Marczewski Sings “It’s OK”
What I’m Discussing Today:
Why Willie Mays Was My Hero: The wonderful night I spent being Willie’s ball boy.
Kareem’s Daily Quote: A brief meditation on the source of happiness.
Americans Are Leaving Both Parties. This Colorado City Shows Why.: People are frustrated, but will that lead to any meaningful change?
Trust in US institutions has ‘never been lower’–here’s why that matters: There is some good news about this report.
Kareem’s Video Break: Some of the fastest feet I’ve ever seen in tap dancing. I’m pretty sure I could do it if I just watched the video one more time.
Modern death cafes are very much alive in L.A. Inside the radical movement: This may sound morbid at first, but it’s actually a good idea.
Social Media Erupts Over Disney Closing Splash Mountain Ride: Some people are upset that Disney decided against continuing to promote harmful Black stereotypes.
Jane Kristen Marczewski Sings “It’s OK”: I don’t usually feature this kind of music video, but her song is that good.
Special Message from Kareem about Willie Mays:
When I was a kid, baseball was my first love and Willie Mays was the reason for that. He made impossible catches and lightning-fast plays that made me believe he could walk on water if he really tried. The true testament to his greatness for me as a kid was that I deeply admired him even though I was a Dodgers fan and he played for the rival Giants. To me, Willie was a one-man game. Later, when I played basketball, I would recall amazing plays that he made and that inspired me to push myself to be more like him. I didn’t just want to be great, I wanted to be Willie-Mays great!
In 2005, I attended a dinner honoring the Negro League umpires. For two hours I sat next to Willie and basked in his charm and positive personality. Throughout the dinner, people would come up to our table and ask him to sign a baseball for them. He politely asked them to leave the balls and he would sign them later. He proceeded to eat, stopping every once in a while to sign a couple of balls, pointing out the owners at their tables, and asking me to run the balls over to them. This went on until all the balls were signed. I couldn’t have been happier being his ball boy that evening.
I’m at a point in my life where I want to spend less time mourning the deaths of my friends and heroes and more time celebrating their lives. As one of the first Black professional baseball players, Willie Mays endured unimaginable hardships. Because of him, I was able to pursue my own sports career and live a better life. Every Black athlete owes him a debt of gratitude. We walked an easier path because he cleared it for us. Even in passing, Willie has left me with so many wonderful and joyous memories that I can’t help but smile and be grateful.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
Morality is not the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but of how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), German philosopher
Kant’s 800-page, densely written Critique of Pure Reason is the Babadook to college philosophy students. I could never get through it. But I did appreciate Kant’s belief that reason was the foundation of morality. The rest I’ll figure out when it’s made into a musical or a Marvel movie.
What I love about this quote is that it appears as if he’s talking about two separate things: First, the process of making ourselves happy. Second, the process of becoming worthy of happiness. However, they are actually intertwined because—and here’s the tricky part—each person has to determine for themselves what makes them worthy of happiness.
Much of contemporary self-help preaches that all people are deserving of happiness, which I agree with. But we each bring some mighty heavy baggage with us that makes us self-sabotage our happiness. Many parents bind their children’s personal happiness to achievements. Get good grades. Obey authority. Please us. Get married. Raise your kind. But the hard lesson is how to be happy without treating it as a reward for pleasing others’ expectations. To not be a trained pet. Just. Be. Happy.
By making ourselves worthy—in our own eyes—we become happy. Once we remove the expectations of others from the equation, we are free to choose happiness as a way of life rather than a consequence of a to-do list established by parents, culture, society, tradition, religion, etc. That does not mean happiness is found in being completely selfish and compassionless. It definitely isn’t. That’s fool’s gold.
It’s simple: To show love is to receive love, whether it’s love from the other person based on gratitude—or love from yourself for doing what you consider right. Being the person you want to be is the root of all happiness. Knowing who the person is that you want to be is the root of all knowledge.