depression 2009

We are about to witness March Madness, an orgy of competition that commences once a year and transforms our brightest and most well-to-do young people into slobbering automatons.  Men will don sweatshirts over their size 44 waists, and women will drink beer.  Gatherings will commence, and people will high five each other.

Over what?  Nothing here is real. No experience, no matter how vivid the plasma TV that brings it, is truly yours.  And yet, in every decent college town there will be screaming, high fiving, people being passionate about what happens with their school.  You’ll maybe take ownership of it–but take just a moment to look at the absurdity of it all.  The players stick around for a year or two, after having transferred from Jucos, they try to play in the NBA or Europe. They don the school colors as mercenaries, and peon soldiers of the corrupt insanity that is the NCAA tournament.

Life is too rich and too precious to put your passion in the ground. Supporting this insanity puts us all in a position of pseudo life–vicarious living though the achievements of others.  WHEN was the last time you got excited–that excited–about something in your own, amazing life?  When did you high five? Let’s high five some more in REAL life.  Let’s fist pump when WE complete something good. Let’s throw our arms up and say “YES” at meaningful acts of kindness compassion and excellence.

How Much Work Is Lost Due to the Tournament?

The time it takes away from work is criminal. When the madness ends in April or May, or whenever it does, nobody will cherish the memory of watching TV. Yet brackets will get assembled, jiggered and rejiggered. We’re not going to get out of the depression of 2009 by watching more TV. We have to focus all of our creativity and all that we have into out thinking the new rules, to deal with this economy. We’ll never win if we always dither away time on childish things.

In our book, F#@% Therapy, we put together some pages on how life-sucking your team is.  How much money, time, and energy do you spend on them?  And how much money, time, and energy do you spend on your business, your kids, or anything else?  Do what you love and have passion for–not what everyone else does.  Don’t echo the sheep.

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