It’s aggravating to me to see the way people intentionally ratchet up tensions, even stoking violence, toward others that don’t share their same view of the world. Sadly, this is the new norm now, and it seems like it’s intensifying. Sometimes it’s tempting to use this site as a platform to unload on the people doing it. Rather than indulging in that right now, though, I thought I’d share a fun four-minute video I recently came across.
In the early 1980s, before Michael Jordan got hugely famous, some of the most dominant names in professional basketball were Irvin “Magic” Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics.
These guys could not stand each other. Both were exceptional talents, but they had a way of getting under each other’s skin and they developed a professional relationship that extended past rivalry and into hatred.
So in 1985 when the athletic shoe company Converse hired the two to shoot a commercial featuring the superstars playing each other one-on-one, nobody quite knew what to expect (least of all Johnson and Bird).
This video, Magic And Bird: A Rivalry Gives Way To Friendship, shows what can happen when some humanity is injected into a hate-filled situation.
There’s a radio station I listen to sometimes that says “the world is full of good people. If you can’t find one, be one.”
Hang in there. Better times are coming.
God, it’s bad out there. People seem like they’ve absolutely lost their minds. Please help us know when we should stand up and push back, and when we should be willing to take it on the chin. Help our pride not get in the way as we try to reflect You in the course of our daily lives, even if it means the other guy/gal walks away thinking they got the better of us. Their eternal destination is far more important than our bruised ego. In all things, may Your name be praised. Amen.