Class Distinctions as Seen Through the Lens of Big Time College Athletics

Trey Smith

The elites just hate it whenever someone brings up the issue of class divisions. We are a classless society, they say, and, when you bring up the issue of class, all you are trying to do is foment class warfare. (How is this possible if our society indeed is classless?) Of course, the real reason they don't want the minions to focus on class is that THEY have been instigating class warfare for decades!

We see class distinctions all throughout the way society operates. To offer one example, our justice system is basted in class. If you happen to be a member of the upper class and your financial institution is caught red-handed laundering billions of dollars from drug traffickers, you don't need to worry about seeing the inside of a courtroom or going to jail. You only have to pay a teensy fine and you can go on your way.

If you don't happen to be a member of the upper class and, in most states, you are found to possess even small amounts of marijuana, chances are very good that you will definitely see the inside of a courtroom plus the inside of a jail cell.

In a piece written by CBS Sports National Columnist Gregg Doyle, we see another example of the class divisions in society and the patently unfair way one class is given significant freedom while the other is not.

In big time college sports, the upper class is made up of head coaches (and athletic administrators). While most of them supposedly value loyalty to one's school, they have a funny way of showing it. If another school dangles better benefits and higher pay in front of their eyes, few head coaches will say no. So, after telling recruited athletes the vital importance of loyalty to the school, the head coach abruptly leaves for a bigger pay day.

The head coach that Doyel writes about is Brian Kelly of the University of Notre Dame.

When Kelly was at Cincinnati -- I live in Cincinnati, not that it matters; Mark Dantonio of Michigan State left Cincinnati in 2006, and he's my favorite football coach -- he left for Notre Dame. And he didn't leave at a good time, either.

He didn't leave, for example, in June.

Kelly left Cincinnati in December 2009. After Cincinnati had gone 12-0 in the regular season, but before the Bearcats played Florida in the Sugar Bowl. Cincinnati had a shot at perfection, at magic, but Kelly was gone. Why? Because he could. Because the system let him. Because Notre Dame was a better job and who cares if Cincinnati was in the middle of its season?

The irony here is that Head Coach Brian Kelly has decided to make life very difficult for one of his current college football recruits. This young man -- who just graduated from high school -- signed a National Letter of Intent to play for/attend Notre Dame, but then he changed his mind. The young man decided he wanted to stay closer to home by attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). But Coach Kelly doesn't want the young man to change his mind. He wants him to honor his commitment to Notre Dame.

Kelly has refused to allow this 18 year old kid to opt out of his letter of intent. By doing this, the young man either must go to a school he doesn't really want to go to OR he can attend UCLA without a scholarship and this star recruit won't be allowed to play football this year either. And why is Brian Kelly being such an insensitive hard ass in this situation? Because the system allows him to be this way!

To recap. Kelly signed a legal contract to coach football at the University of Cincinnati, but then welched on his signed contract to take a better job at Notre Dame DURING the football season. Kelly was afforded the ability to do this without penalty because he is a member of the big time college athletics upper class. The 18 year old football recruit is not a member of this upper class and so he must pay a steep price for changing his mind even though he has yet even to enroll at Notre Dame.

If you want to understand most facets of American life, you need to brush up on the distinctions of class in our "classless" society.

Spotlight on Diary of a Daoist Hermit

Trey Smith

It has been over one year since I last shown the spotlight on one of my favorite blogs. Today I want to draw your attention to Diary of a Daoist Hermit authored by the Cloudwalking Owl. Here's how he describes his blog:

Life is a strange journey sometimes. I was born into a small-town, farming family in Southern Ontario, in Canada. But I've always been attracted to oriental philosophy. I joined a taijiquan club when I was a young man and a strange Chinese immigrant initiated me into his Daoist lineage without my really understanding what I was getting into. That happened about thirty years ago. The man has since died and I have nothing to do with his temple. But the path he started me on has become my life as I work out what it means to be a Western Daoist in the 21st century.

If you're looking for a blog with short and pithy entries, this one is not for you. The Cloudwalking Owl certainly does not post every day or, sometimes, every week, but when he does post, he writes some of the most thought-provoking stuff on the web! He tackles both politics and the most basic topics of humanity. And he consistently challenges the reader to go below the depths of superficial consciousness.

Here's a sample from a recent post entitled, Infantile Spirituality.

When I analyze my feelings when confronted by injustice I notice two things. First, I feel a lot of empathy in that I always end up imagining myself in the situation I see the other person. Secondly, I feel a great deal of anger and outrage. Sometimes I move to a third stage, which is fear that the world is a nasty, cruel, place that is indifferent to the suffering of individuals.

The more I think about it, the more I think that the first two reactions are attempts to divert my attention from the last one. It's better to feel sorrow for others and anger against whomever is harming them than contemplate that it is just happenstance -- perhaps temporary -- that I am not in the same boat. I notice this fact time and time again when I find out that the world is just not a "warm and fuzzy place". It was this outrage that fueled just about everything that I have ever done in politics. And that outrage ultimately kept me from facing up to the idea that life is inherently tough and I am going to die, probably after a lot of pain.

The path we walk as individuals is ultimately like a mine field. We never really know if the next time we put our foot down it may end in an explosion that may injure, maim or kill us. Our job can disappear, we can get sick, an accident may befall us, or the people we love can suffer similar problems, etc, etc.

Spotlight on The Philosophy of Me

In the past, when I have chosen to draw your attention to one of my favorite blogs, I have offered my own analysis and commentary about said blog along with one or two sample blog posts. While there is no wrong with this type of approach, I recently decided to present this infrequent series in a different way.

Today's Blog Spotlight is on The Philosophy of Me: The Life and Mind of No One Special. To explain what this blog is about, I have invited its author, Tim, to do the honors himself.

About five years ago I was diagnosed with a mood (Schizoaffective) disorder and a personality (Anti-Social Personality) disorder. Throughout my entire life I have had to deal with and find new ways to live with my mental illness. Prior to starting my blog, I was plagued with so many thoughts and emotions haunting me until I was finally consumed. I go through these cycles every year, and I would either end up in the hospital or just emotionally broken. I had so many things to get off my mind, but I lacked an outlet to purge my thoughts and feelings.

In August of 2009, I hit a rather nasty episode of depression, and I decided the only way out of my pain was to kill myself. I wrote a heartfelt letter to my family and I grabbed all my prescription medicine and set off to work with the intent of not coming home.

As I sat in my office reading over my suicide note, I felt so much was left out to properly convey the pain I was in. I decided to start a journal chronicling my distress, so when the day came I could leave these words behind. I started writing in my journal, but all my entries would come across in poetry form, or at least what I thought poetry was. I went with this style and wrote entry after entry. My final poem “To My Children” was penned in November 2009 with a date of February 8th 2010. I actually felt at ease with taking the trip to the great unknown.

I snapped out of this episode in December, and finally made it back to reality. I went back to read my journal, and I felt my poetry was raw and dark, but I also thought it was good. I had this strange emotion of hope that I could take this journal and turn it into a poetry book, thus living out my dream of becoming a professional writer. My wife found this website where I could self-publish my work and as a result “My Descent into Madness” was born.

Since being asked by Trey if I would be interested in having my blog featured on his blog spotlight, I have been sitting here trying to think of the proper words to describe my blog and the only words I can think of are “personal” and “random.” My site is a personal invitation inside the inner workings of my mind and a window into my very being. I write about my personal struggles with my mental illness. I talk about my personal journey to find answers to questions which have no answers, such as my search to find meaning between nothingness and faith.

I have no clear agenda when I sit down to write my posts. There is no preparation or thought I put into it. I simply sit back and grab a random thought from the millions of endless racing thoughts shooting around in my head. I just quickly grab one and go with it. I also look at this blog as a forum. I encourage comments and participation. This is key in trying to turn this thing into a society of thinkers.

My writing has changed my life. It has given me a new purpose; a glimmer of hope of living out my dream to become a writer. I know I will never become famous from writing on my blog. I also know I will never be known for my poetry books. What I do know and have 100% faith in is my children’s books. Here is where I believe my dreams will become a reality.

But if someone were to give me the choice of becoming a famous writer or give up my blog; I would choose this blog. This thing of mine is special to me. It gives me a forum to pour out my inner most feelings and, instead of being stuck inside, I am able to share them with the world.

Just let me add that Tim's blog is one of the 3 or 4 I visit everyday. It's fresh. It's raw. Some of the subject matter can be a bit uncomfortable, at times, but it's written from the heart and that counts big time in my book.

Spotlight on NW Ohio Skeptics

Anyone who regularly reads blogs is bound to develop favorites. As one of my chief interests in life has become philosophical Taoism, it should surprise no one that most of my favorite blogs deal with this subject matter in one form or another. However, one of my daily MUST READ blogs is not Taoist, in nature. It often touches on similar themes, but NW Ohio Skeptics (owned and maintained by Bruce Gerencser), paints with a broader brush.

We are a group of agnostics, atheists,skeptics, humanists, and non-religious people who desire to present an alternative viewpoint to to the conservative, Christian viewpoint so common in NW Ohio and many parts of the United States. You can expect to find regular commentary on politics, social issues, culture and religion, with a focus on issues and news affecting NW Ohio. From time to time you will also find concise, passionate commentary on national politics, social issues, culture, and religion.

While a few others write posts, from time to time, most of the writings featured on NW Ohio Skeptics come from Bruce himself and, let me tell ya, Bruce writes from the heart!

Now a proclaimed agnostic, Bruce spent the vast majority of his life in the bosom of evangelical Christianity. Not only was he an ardent believer, but his vocation was that of pastor. Rev. Gerencser administered to thousands of people during a pastoral career that spanned more than 2 decades. So, this is a fellow who knows more than a thing or two about the Christian faith.

He also knows about the pain of leaving said faith. He knows about the friendships lost and the whispers behind your back. He writes about all this and more in an open, candid manner.

Many of his posts are gut-wrenching and lay open the wounds in his life. Several others, however, can be quite funny. Almost every one of them is enlightening and informative. As I wrote above, his blog is on my "must read" list and I eagerly await each of his next posts.

I could go on gushing for a good bit of time, but instead of that, I encourage each of you to drop by his blog. In most cases, I believe you will add it to your "must read" list of daily blogs too!!

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

Spotlight on Changing Places

In this short series to date, all the blogs I've shown the spotlight on are written by males. In this case, I'm going to feature one of the many quality female writers. Donna Woodka is the blogger behind Changing Places and I have followed her blog for quite some time. She's the person who first introduced me to 365 Tao: Daily Meditations by Deng Ming-Dao and she utilizes his writings often as a springboard.

She doesn't post as frequently on her blog as she used to and she explains as much in her About snippet.

Changing Places is about the process of creating and opening up to change. My current interests include spiritual change, business change management, cultural change, artistic change, Tao Te Ching (The Way of Change), interpersonal and relationship change, and lifestyle change. It is also my personal blog, so my own life changes get top billing. The change in social media means a lot of my activity is now on Facebook, Google Reader and Twitter, so follow me there to see more.

Still, while the blogging frequency itself has been diminished, the quality of her writing has not! For example, on the last day of May, she reposted a wonderful piece on Compassion. In it she wrote,

My greatest problem with becoming truly compassionate is letting go of my own ego. I can be compassionate towards others, but I make the mistake of expecting compassion in return. I need to learn to accept that others are not always compassionate, that they will not show me the same courtesy that I show to them, and be ok with that.I forgive others for their transgressions towards me, but others have not forgiven me, and yet, I must still feel compassion for them. My sadness these days is that they cannot open their own hearts enough to forgive, cannot let go of their prejudices. But, Tao teaches acceptance, and acceptance of others own hardness is one of the most difficult things to feel compassion towards.

It is the problem I see in America today. Those who claim compassion also shout for war, and the death penalty, and intolerance of others actions. How can they be like this? If they believe in compassion, they must feel it towards all others, not just those that agree with them and that they like, or those who they see as thinking the same way they do and believing in the same religion. For the sake of their version of heaven, they are willing to put the rest of us in hell. That is not compassion, that is hypocrisy.

And yet…. I must show compassion for them, and not judge them, and understand them and care about them in spite of how they act. This is difficult, but it must be done. Otherwise, I become the hypocrite that I detest.

Compassion, true compassion, is indeed a difficult thing, until we accept that all are one.

See what I mean? You can't go wrong whether you visit her blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed.

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

Spotlight on Church of the Churchless

I first started paying attention to blogs back in 2004 and one of the very first ones I subscribed to was Church of the Churchless by Blogger Brian. I have been subscribed to his feed ever since (except for a brief period when we moved from Oregon to Washington). While I've made several virtual friends with bloggers over the years, Brian is the ONLY one I've met in person as, for a time, we both lived in Salem, Oregon. May I say he and his wife are good people!

So, what is Brian's blog about? Let him tell you:

If you are spiritual but not religious,
If you don't belong to an organized faith but sometimes wish you did,
Or if you do belong but sometimes wish you didn't,
Welcome to the Church of the Churchless.

If you are tired of dogma that divides rather than unites,
That demands blind faith rather than open-eyed investigation,
That proclaims "You'll see when you believe"
Instead of "You'll believe when you see,"
Welcome to the Church of the Churchless.

Almost without exception, every one of his posts is thought provoking. He's an avid reader and he often references one of the many books he's reading. His blog is about science, philosophy, atheism, belief, skepticism and so much more. His comments sections often provide one of the most lively you will find in this neck of the woods.

To offer a taste of the Churchless mindset, here are some links to recent posts:

• Divinity isn't necessary to make life meaningful
• How to tell science from pseudoscience
• Crazy or religious? Tough to tell the difference.
• Draw Mohammed Day freaks out fundamentalist Muslims

As long as Brian writes, I'll read...and ponder.

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

Spotlight on Ta Wan

Normally, when I write one of these spotlight posts, the name of the blog itself goes into the title. In this case, however, I used the blogger's moniker. Why the difference? Well, the English bloke (by way of Australia) Ta Wan has not one but three blogs dedicated to philosophical Taoism: Tao Wow, Daily Cup of Tao, and Meaning of the Tao Te Ching. It's a virtual Taoist empire!!

Maybe each one reflects a bit of his personality, but all three are gems in their own right. The chief blog is Tao Wow. His brief intro reads:

Simplify yourself, then forget you did it. Be in balance and not know it. Have the truth but not own it.

On Tao Wow, you can read his musings on a variety of topics and participate in many a thought experiment. Recent titles include Errors Made at Reincarnation, Enlightenment of the Selfish I, My Death and We Think in Time and Space - Not Live in Time and Space.

The Meaning of the Tao Te Ching offers brief comments and insights on each of the 81 verses. You will be reading a few of these in the Daodejing - Other Voices series on this blog.

Daily Cup of Tao is an interesting and fun experiment. Ta Wan wrote 365ish random and whimsical snippets to be posted one per day for a year; it runs through the end of this November. In just a few scant words, he often captures the very essence of the Taoist philosophy. Though monopolizing very little space on the screen, each day's prose provides the reader with A LOT to think about. Here's a sampling:

Greed
Greed is infinitely empty. Unfulfillable.

conflict
When desire opposes the situation then conflict appears.

When conflict comes and you feel the need to act, it is better to draw to the root and use your infinite being to neutralize the situation. Allow it to pass.

As reacting just passes the event on to another, perhaps to many, you'd be better to be wise and strong here, than depend on another to neutralize it later.

The only thing you can alter about the world is your attitude towards it.

The only thing you can change is the way you see it.

Oh? No one told me that
It turned out all along that water buffalo were in charge of philosophy and man was on cake duty.

What we have here is a stream-of-consciousness type of person. Let his stream flow through you. It flows through me several times per day!

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

Spotlight on Christian Taoism

If you ever take a look in my left sidebar at "Blog posts that I recommend!", the link takes you to my Tumblr blog. The sole purpose of said blog is to showcase what other people are writing. While there are a wide variety of posts from numerous blogs, there are two that come from a direct RSS feed. One of those two is Christian Taoism by H. K. Stewart from my old stomping grounds in Arkansas.

Here's how HK describes his blog:

This blog looks at what happens when you rub "Love thy neighbor" and Taoism together -- and other spiritual traditions. Weaving different spiritual threads into a new religious cloth isn't my goal, though. I'm more interested in exploring ways to make a world where Christianity and Taoism [and Judaism and Hinduism and Islam and Buddhism and Atheism and, and, and] can live next to each other in relative peace -- even inside the same skull. We can put humans on the moon and bring them safely home again, so why shouldn't we be able to get along with each other -- at least across a picnic table? After all, we're all connected. We arose from [the Tao, God, Yahweh, Allah, Higher Power, the Great Because -- pick a label], and we'll return to it. In it, through it, we are all one. My trip to the moon and back.

One of the reasons Christian Taoism is in my regular rotation of blogs that I check daily is HK's exquisite talent for fusing interesting and intriguing photographs with his poetic insights in each blog post. And let me tell you, these aren't your everyday run-of-the-mill photos either! While many of the pictures may be of things you or I routinely see, the camera angles and aperture settings offer a view we may not tend to notice.

Here's a sampling of some of his written posts from the past week or so. You'll have to visit his blog to see the photo married to each post. I sincerely hope you make the trip!!

The Horizon as a Reminder
The horizon is
always with us,
even when it
cannot be seen.

Flat, jagged,
mountainous,
or barely arched,
it is a constant reminder
of what is forever
beyond our reach.

Seven Rivers
Seven rivers flow through our lives.

First is the river of family.
Second is the river of discovery.
Third is the river of equals.
Fourth is the river of desire.
Fifth is the river of adversity.
Sixth is the river of grief.
Seventh is the river of wisdom.

Keeping Secrets
Secrets separate us from one another.
Sometimes that is good. Sometimes not.
Depends on the secret and why we're keeping it.

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

Spotlight on Pure Mountain Tao

One of the real challenges to authoring a blog that focuses on philosophic themes -- Taoist or otherwise -- is to keep the posts fresh. There are only a certain number of fundamental topics out there and so, if the blog exhibits any longevity, the main concepts and ideas will be discussed again and again and again.

Roshi Alan Hogan of Pure Mountain Tao is a master at utilizing different metaphors and illustrations to bring to life the subjects that human beings have discussed and debated for thousands of years. It's one of my favorite Taoist blogs and he inspires me daily.

One of the things I'd like to draw your attention to his is creative One Sentence TTC. As he explains in the introduction,

I wrote the one sentence Tao Te Ching to help beginners understand and memorize the TTC much easier. It is not meant as a complete translation, but I believe it gives the main idea of each of the 81 verses.

For me, I think he well captures the essence of the Tao Te Ching. It really does provide a good starting point, both for the novice and those of us who've read over the TTC several times. If nothing else, it provides tremendous food for thought!

To give you an idea of the kind of posts you will find on Pure Mountain Tao on any given day, I offer the following examples.

Masquerade
I do quite a bit of travel up and down Interstate 95 and around this time of the year you begin to see many people pulling trailers with motorcycles on them heading south. This is the time of the year when Bike Week takes place in Daytona Beach, Florida. A gathering of bikers there to celebrate bikes, party, and take in the warm sun. I was wondering how many of these faux bikers come to Daytona. If you were really a biker, would you not just ride your bike down to Florida? Instead people load up a trailer and often pull it behind a large, comfortable RV. Once here, I surmise that they roll the bikes off of the trailers and then portray themselves as being real bikers. The world is full of such people wearing masks, pretending to be one thing when they are really another. Seek to be genuine. Do not just read and talk about the Tao, live it, even if it means being seen as living on a different plane. One who understands the Tao is embraces the simple so much so, that they are seen as being complicated. Profound understanding of greatness generates misunderstanding by the masses. Ride your bike of Tao, do not pull it on a trailer.

Bridge Over Flowing Water
Those who have wisdom know when to get out of the way, know when to act, know when to fade into the shadows, know when to come out into the sunlight. The Tao rains, snows, and shines. All is a result of being natural and not being contrived. Let the days go by gently like flowing water. Stand on the bridge watching the wonders of the Tao. The Way is a bridge which neither the coming of death or the passage of time can destroy.

Various Roads
We should strive for nothing nor strive to reach anyplace including the Tao. Striving for anything including the Tao can actually become a hindrance in becoming one with the way. Let the Tao within you flow out naturally and without undue force. Once we find the way, do not be alarmed if you lose the way. Remember that your way is the Tao and you can always find it again. Even though we may travel various roads and find ourselves in strange lands, the Tao never goes anywhere.

Economic Times
It is all too common an occurrence to hear bad news fronted by the phrase, “In today’s tough economic times”, or “Due to the economic conditions that exist…” This is true in some cases but I wonder how many times it is simply a convenient excuse to fire people from jobs, refuse to spend money that needs to be spent, or increase the profits of a company or a combination of the three. We may find ourselves making the same kind of ‘convenient‘ statements. “I meant to be mindful but….”…”I try to follow the Tao, however…” or some other excuse. Sometimes a condition becomes a barrier whether it truly is or not. It may be real or artificial. If the front door is locked, maybe the back door or a window is not. Go around and check. Do not just stand on the porch trying to justify not getting in the house.

I hope these four examples have whetted your appetite for more. If you're looking for daily inspiration, this blog is a great place to start.

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

Blog Spotlight

Periodically, as I add new links to the various sections of the right sidebar, I announce the additions in an ongoing series entitled, Voices Along the Path. The posts in that series offer you, the reader, a bit of background about the links added. While I will continue to add to that series, from time to time, I'm going to start a new one, Spotlight, which will focus on one specific blog per post.

As I've written here many, many times before, there is no definitive definition of philosophical Taoism. As we each must ply our own paths in life, we must also write our own definitions. What you see here on this blog are my definitions. No more. No less.

To help each of us along on our own individual journeys, it can be helpful to read of the journeys of others. While I'm thankful that you have chosen to treat this blog as one of your way stations, I urge you to drop by other way stations as well.

To this end, later today I will post the first of my installments in the Spotlight series. The first way station we will look at it is Roshi Hogan's Pure Mountain Tao.

You can checkout all the blogs that have been spotlighted here.