I once met a young boy who was looking sad as he stood with his parents. I asked them why their son was so upset. They said he lost a competition. I called the boy and asked him, “Who won the competition?” He replied with a description. I further asked him, “Is he your friend?” He said, “Yes.” I said, “So you are upset over your friend’s victory?” Suddenly something shifted in him. He exclaimed, “No!” I said, “Suppose you had won the game and your friends were upset about you winning, would you have liked that position?” He said, “No!” I asked, “Then what would you like your friends to do?” He said, “They celebrate the party with me. They should be happy along with me.” I then asked him, “When you wish your friend should be happy about your success, why are you upset when he is winning?” You could see the shift in his state of mind. Just kindling these principles in the minds and hearts of sportsmen will make a huge difference in the arena of sports.
One has to be equanimous in victory and loss. When we let victory get to our head, it can bring arrogance and when we allow loss to get to our heart, we can get depressed. It is important to just bring in to our awareness that whether we win or lose, we must celebrate. We win or we make others win. The purpose of life is simply to celebrate. The purpose of sports is the same — to celebrate life in its entirety. It is not just about keeping a trophy in the house.
I have a question for you — should sports be taken seriously or lightly? The answer is yes and no, both. If you take sports too seriously, it loses its charm and lightness. It becomes like a war and that’s where all the unethical practices begin. When we do not take sports in a lighter spirit and treat it as larger-thanlife, we get depressed and anxious when we don’t make it. For many sportspersons, this becomes a trigger for a host of mental illnesses.
Have you seen small kittens when they have their stomachs full? They don’t just sit around. They play. Monkeys behave in the same manner. They are not really fighting with each other but they play, they run, box, somersault. Sport is a natural phenomenon where we laugh and cry together. Sport is that which unites people beyond language and nations.
-Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
