Real Life Tao - Finishing Last

Trey Smith

The primary reason I started this series, Real Life Tao, is to show how Taoist principles can be applied to everyday life. What is the benefit of ANY belief system if its philosophic moorings sound plausible, but don't translate well to the lives we lead day in and day out? What good comes from an ideology that works on paper, but just doesn't seem to work the same way in real life?

More often than not, I utilize my own experiences as the springboard to take a look at a specific (or general) point contained in one of the classical Taoist texts. In the present case, I will use the experience of another person to highlight these three lines from Verse 7 of the Tao Te Ching:

The sage stays behind, thus he is ahead.
He is detached, thus at one with all.
Through selfless action, he attains fulfillment.

How can staying behind put a person ahead? Meghan Vogel understands!

Meghan Vogel, a junior from West Liberty-Salem (West Liberty, Ohio), won an Ohio Division III state championship Saturday in the 1600-meter run, but she can hold her head even higher because of a last-place finish in the 3200-meter run.

She broke away from the favorites in the final 300 meters to win the 1600 in a personal-record 4:58.31. It marked the first girls state track title for her school since 1984 and the second time she broke her own school record this year.

But the applause she received from her unexpected state title was nothing compared to what she was given at the close of the 3200 when she finished last.

Within 20 feet of the finish line, Arden McMath, a sophomore from Arlington (Ohio), was struck with cramps and collapsed in front of her. Instead of sidestepping McMath to finish the race, she helped her to her feet and brought her toward the finish line. McMath was given 14th place and Vogel 15th place.

The Springfield News-Sun reported, "The crowd (at Ohio State University) came to its feet, with the roar growing harder with each step."

Following a standing ovation, Vogel told the News-Sun, "Helping her across the finish line was a lot more satisfying than winning the state championship."

You see, while Vogel finished last in the race, she finished first in the hearts of spectators! By being detached from her personal desire to place as high as possible in the race, she was able and willing to help a competitor in pain. By committing a selfless action, she helped to fulfill McMath's wish to finish the race.

There is a great chance that Meghan Vogel has never heard of Taoism. I wouldn't be surprised at all if she's never read the Tao Te Ching...not that it matters. The Taoist texts are not rulebooks that we must subscribe to. These works merely describe what it is to be enlightened and selfless.

Meghan Vogel's act in the 1600-meter run is an embodiment of these principles.

This post is part of a series. For an introduction, go here.