Fred Cavaiani
World Cup Soccer is all around us. Soccer is becoming very popular in the United States. We are joining the rest of the world in expressing a dedication and passion to soccer. This is a sport of teamwork, speed, grace, marvelous patience and intense passion. We all know friends, children and grandchildren who play or have played soccer. This certainly wasn’t true when I was a child. Baseball, football and basketball were the popular sports. But life evolves and changes. We live in a fast-paced world but also a world of total interdependence upon one another. Nations might war against one another but they also need one another.
The popularity of World Cup Soccer is a unifying experience for the world. In competing against other nations we admit that this is a sport for the whole world. We have respect for small nations and large nations as well because it seems as if all have excellent soccer teams. Every nation has a chance at World Cup Soccer. And it appears that there are many nations that are capable of competing well.
On a soccer team everyone is interdependent upon one another. In this ability to pass and depend upon teammates, a team can compete forcefully and gracefully. Playing dirty in soccer doesn’t get very far. The speed and agility of the fame cannot be easily hampered. No one cheers a dirty play in soccer. The rules are upheld and those who do not follow them are given cards of disapproval. What a lesson for all of us about how to live life.
I attended a gymnastic exhibition for two of our grandchildren this past Sunday. The children ranged in age from four years old to about eleven years old. Everyone got a trophy. Our six-year-old granddaughter, Gabriela, said to us a few days before, “I want a trophy like Miabella has.” Miabella, her seven-year-old sister received a trophy the year before. In the past, I have had reservations about giving everyone a trophy for competing. Watching these young girls and boys receive their trophies at this elementary stage of gymnastics was a joy to observe. The big smile on Gabriela’s face and her showing me her trophy afterwards made me realize a fundamental principle in life: Everyone needs to feel like a winner in life.
Watching World Cup Soccer and exhibition gymnastics on the same day inspired me to consider some important principles of life. It isn’t winning that is important. It is the dedication to effort and the willingness to compete and embrace life that is most important. The trophies my granddaughters received were simply a recognition that they made an effort to practice on a regular basis. Watching World Cup Soccer made me realize that all these fine players on their nation’s teams had put in much effort to compete as a team. This effort is to work together for a desired goal: the goal of competition and teamwork and the pride of representing their nation.
Individual stars in soccer are made through intense teamwork. Without teamwork and accurate passing to one another a soccer team will perform poorly.
I think soccer is so popular because it stirs up within each of us the admiration of experiencing players working together in respectful and graceful team work. This principle is even deeper than the sport itself. It says to all of us that with respect and team work with one another we can change the face of this earth into a respectful journey where all of us can work together to the final GOAL of life: Harmony and Teamwork with one another.
We just need to make the effort to make the team. We make the team by the effort to bring love and compassion to everyone in our life. It is the only fair way to play the game of life which is to discover a Loving God and embrace the fundamental principle in the game of life: Love and Harmony in our personal world and Love and Harmony in the World Cup of Life.
The way to accomplish this is to have daily practice sessions of Quiet Meditation where we can listen to the greatest Coach of Life, God. Just do it. It will work. You will make the team. And what a glorious team this is!
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Fred Cavaiani is a licensed marriage counselor and psychologist with a private practice in Troy. He is the founder of Marriage Growth Center, a consultant for the Detroit Medical Center, and conducts numerous programs for groups throughout Southeast Michigan. His column in the Legal News runs every other Tuesday. He can be reached at 248-362-3340. His e-mail address is: Fredcavi@yahoo.com and his website is fredthecounselor.com.
