BOBBY JONES
I often think of Bobby Jones, unquestionably the greatest golfer of the first half of the twentieth century and perhaps the greatest golfer of all time. I've read about him and I've watched videos and television programs featuring his golf and his life. After winning the "grand slam" in 1930, Jones retired from competitive golf at the age of 28. While he remained active in golf, performing such services as founding the tournament now known as the Masters, he also practiced law and from all accounts was a remarkable member of his community as well. He contracted a rare, progressive and incurable spinal disease in middle age and lived many years of pain and inability to walk unaided. He confronted this disease with the same spirit he had formerly approached golf tournaments, remaining cheerful, appearing on television in a golf cart or wheel chair, and continued to serve golf and his community with enthusiasm and energy. I watched this remarkable man on a television special: Near the end of his life, unable to walk, traveling by motorized cart, when receiving the applause of the citizens of St. Andrews in Scotland, he willed himself to rise and walk to the podium to give his thanks. I've long believed that this application of effort in the face of difficulties which would defeat most of us was perhaps his greatest triumph.
Given my respect and admiration for this great man, you can imagine how delighted I was to read J. Michael Veron's new book The Greatest Player Who Never Lived. Veron's book is a mystery story starring a young law student assigned to review Bobby Jones' old legal files. The book includes wonderful golf vignettes, great respect for Jones and golf and a love of justice which made the book impossible for me to put down once I started it. But one line from the book captured much of my philosophy of life: "No matter how slight our chances, we can't win if we don't play."
Life is about trying, about testing your skills, about coming back from disappointment, about overcoming discouragement, about helping others, about seeking new challenges. A life which is too easy is a boring life. A life which includes the joy of effort, the pleasure of healthy competition, the pursuit of personal excellence is a happy life. Doing the best each of us can do is all we can do. We owe to ourselves and others to give of ourselves, to try our hardest whether we win or lose. If we do that, we can't lose. People who keep going, doing the best they can do, are the winners in life. Be a winner, keep trying, no matter what the odds against you might be.
Someone observed that since the odds of winning the lottery were approximately the same whether he entered or not, he chose not to enter. That approach might save a few dollars, but it guarantees you'll never win the lottery. The same thing is true in life: To withdraw from life's challenges might save effort or embarrassment, but it guarantees you'll never surmount the challenges, never enjoy the satisfaction of a job well-done, never look back and say "I did my best!"
4-24-00
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