I just want to take a moment to express my gratitude to the Tim Tebows of the world, in particular to Tim himself. Not for the Christian faith he espouses; although I'm not a Christian, I'm totally okay with the fact that he is not only a Christian but overtly so. And not for his prowess on the football field. Like a significant fraction of the folks in Colorado I thoroughly enjoyed watching last week's playoff win against the Steelers. So, although I'm not necessarily a Bronco fan, and I don't believe they will win the Superbowl this year he's sure fun to watch. But once again this is not the foundation of my gratitude. I'm not even grateful for the fact that the guy seems to be the real deal, a genuinely nice son-of-a-gun. The world is full of nice guys that don't get my gratitude meter running.
I'm grateful for the entertainment coefficient that he is generating in my world. I just took a quick glances at a few discussion groups I visit on a rotating basis. Tebow was the topic of no less than eighty posts. There were Tebow haters and Tebow lovers. Several folks said it was all an act. These were countered by others who said he walks the walk and talks the talk--in other words they disagreed. In a few of these posts (translated tirades) you could almost see the writer, with steam pouring out his (or in this case her) ears, curling fingers through hair and yanking out painful strand after painful strand. And then there were the equally vocal and possibly equally bald defenders of the man espousing Voltaire's assertion "I don't agree with what you say and do but I will defend to the death your right to say and do it."
Okay I took a little liberty with the quote but you get the picture.
So, there I was reading these jokers' posts and it dawned on me. I love this crap. I love the fact that people are losing their minds over the antics of a man playing a child's game (don't get me wrong I'm a fan of this particular child's game). Every time Tim Tebow performs some new gesture, I hold my breath thinking maybe this time folks will just ignore him and that will be the end of the wonder circus. But Noooooooo, not yet! Out come the incensed, the outraged, the loyalists, the thumpers...the crazies.
Lately, I've been thinking there is a whole legion of folks like me who are lurking in the chat rooms, and on-line sites, reading Yahoo and Facebook and giggling. I know this sounds smug, and it probably is, so sue me. I find these folks hilarious.
But the entertainment factor isn't the sole reason I'm grateful to the Tim Tebows of planet earth. Oh no, there is a much more comforting element to the hubbub that I'm thankful for, and it's connected to a belief that I've long harbored. I may possibly be the only one who worships at this particular altar, but so be it. My belief is that anything that pushes people's buttons, gets their bloodpressure perculating, makes their eyes bug out...and lets say it, turns them into loonie tunes is good for the culture, and for individual mental health. It reveals truths about ourselves that maybe just maybe we would not have realized otherwise. If something can get that far under your skin it tells you something about yourself, and your particular brand of humanity. If instead of saying "This guy drives me crazy." or "This guy is God's gift to football." we ask "What is happening to me when I lose it in this fashion?" and just wait for the answer, I think therein we might all find enlightenment.
Or it may be that I'm just full of camel manure.
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