Have you ever read The Tao of Pooh? (If not, I would highly recommend it.) If you have, you'll recall that this book relays to us the idea of Tao (a philosophical-type concept) in the form of Winnie the Pooh analysis. To be very brief, the concept of Tao is that life should be simple, we shouldn't worry, and we should just "be." Pooh is the perfect example of Tao, because he "just is." The others (Rabbit, Eeyore, Owl) are too wrapped up in their own lives to figure out what makes them truly happy in life.
Now that I've given an over-simplified version of Taoism, let me flashback to last night's Kentucky basketball game. This may be somewhat of a leap to go from Taoism to basketball, but we all know UK basketball is religion for some, so I'll go with it.
Last night at the game, I was reminded of one of my favorite presences at the game. No, not the Wildcat, or even Coach Cal. The part I'm talking about here is the phenomenon known as "Dancin' Guy." Okay, maybe his name is not really Dancin' Guy, but that's what I like to think of him as. He's the guy who has perfected his moves to "Mony Mony" over the past few seasons of basketball.
During the second half of the game (during a TV timeout), he comes down the stands, sliding down the hand rails, and puts on a lively dancing performance to the Billy Idol song. Dancin' Guy can only be seen if you go to a live game, and he's on the overhead monitors at the stadium-but not on TV. Here's an old article about him: http://www.kentucky.com/2009/03/01/710959/boogie-man-dances-for-joy-at-rupp.html
Not only has he overcome some difficult odds (a brain tumor, and a stint in a psychiatric hospital top the list), but he brings enthusiasm that is not often seen in regular fans. Regardless of the score of a game, he's there to pump us up. While many are concerned about how they will look on the camera, or how awful their dancing is, Dancin' Guy just is. He gets his groove on and doesn't care who is watching. I admire him for this.
And in this way, he's like Winnie the Pooh. "While Eeyore frets. . .Pooh just is." Maybe we can all take a lesson from Dancin' Guy (and Pooh). Who cares if you look silly? Who cares if you make a mistake? Life goes on, and it can be enjoyable if you want it to be. So pull out your Billy Idol cassette tape, and bust a rug.
Hmmmm... I kind of want to look into Taoism now. Your points are well taken, and this way of thinking certainly could help me at times. I'm always concerned with what others think, and I really should just learn to live and "be". Sometimes it's tough to be as carefree as Dancin' guy as you grow older, but it's good to get back to that way of thinking as often as you can.
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