Undefeated FSU Football Team Gets Blindsided & Florida GOP Power Couple Caught Up in Rape and Three-Way Sex Allegations
Kareem Wins Best Columnist of the Year Award, Mormon Church Protection Plan Against Sexual Abuse Accusations, Trump's Attacks on Spouses Is an Attack on Women, Mahalia Jackson Sings
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Harry Chapin’s memorable lyrics teach a lesson crucial to a happy life.
Florida State University Football Team Gets Blindsided: Undefeated doesn’t mean what it used to—not when there’s more money to be made with less successful teams.
Mormon Church Protection Plan Against Sexual Abuse Accusations: Every large organization has members who abuse their power. It’s how that organization responds that defines its true character.
Top GOP Power Couple Caught Up in Rape and Three-Way Sex Allegations: She’s a founder of Moms for Liberty and he’s Florida’s GOP Chairman. They are both self-proclaimed champions of conservative morality. For others.
Trump’s Attacks on Enemies’ Spouses Are Attacks on All Women: Trump hates outspoken women with their own opinions and wants his followers to hate them too.
Kareem’s Video Break: Get ready for a tap dancing showdown between a pro and a three-year-old. Amazing!
Mahalia Jackson Sings: Ease back into your chair and listen to one of the most powerful yet tender voices of the twentieth century. She will lift you higher.
A Quick Announcement to My Subscribers: Before you skip the light fandango through today’s newsletter, I want to tell you that this week I received the Columnist of the Year (Online) Award for this Substack newsletter at the Los Angeles Press Club’s National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards ceremony. The judges’ commented: “These columns are filled with insight, wisdom, and feeling.” I want to thank all my subscribers for your continued and enthusiastic support. That’s what keeps me writing.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
It's got to be the going not the getting there that's good.
Harry Chapin, “Greyhound”
One of the most important lessons Coach Wooden taught us when I was at UCLA was that winning was not our ultimate goal. Becoming our best selves—both on and off the court—was the goal. Winning was a by-product of that commitment. To him, winning was a hollow accomplishment if we weren’t good men as well as good players. It wasn’t enough to earn victory, we had to deserve it. That teaching made him a great coach—and it made him a greater man.
Most of what Coach Wooden taught us was meant to be applied to our daily lives as much as it was to our daily practice. For him, sports wasn’t the endgame, it was a training ground to be better people. Because of those lessons, I learned to enjoy the practices, the drills, the bus rides, the plane rides, the hotel rooms, the camaraderie of teammates, and the interaction with fans as much as the competition. The championships were also nice, but when I look back, no nicer than any other part of the journey.
This brings us to Harry Chapin’s song “Greyhound,” about a weary traveler on a Greyhound bus who is lonely and depressed about being stuck on a bus that is like a metal coffin. Mouth bitter from bad coffee and head dizzy from gas fumes, he’s despondent about his lousy trip. He reflects that because he’s not driving, he has no control over his life. But then he has an epiphany that he’s not driving the bus, but he can control his reactions and attitude. That’s when he says, “Looking to tomorrow is the way the loser hides.” Focusing on the long-term goal robs us of enjoying the short-term joys.
There are dozens of famous quotes about life being about the journey, not the destination. But if humans were capable of learning, retaining, and practicing life lessons, we’d have no need for art, religion, and pillows with crocheted sayings like “Life is short. Eat dessert first.”
We need to be constantly reminded of what’s best for us, whether from a church pulpit, a poetry book, or a song on the radio. These are road signs on life’s journey. Some signs are bolder, more articulate, and more memorable than others, so they inspire us to follow the path we want. For me, when I get too caught up in complaining about something interfering with my grandiose goals, I think about Chapin’s song and I readjust my attitude. He’s like a chiropractor for the soul. Here’s the song. Maybe it will be a signpost for you, too.