A puposive pastime

So I’ve been spending a lot of time over the past couple of days writing a paper for a philosophy class focused on the purposive elements of life. That is, I’ve been spending countless hours attempting to summarize short essays whose goals are, alternatively, to justfiy the existence of God, and to condemn unverifiable belief, or faith. This contrast of views seems to get at the heart of how we view the world: is there a common origin, a maker of the universe, an order which gives us purpose, or are we all essentially alone, beholden to nothing but what we can prove and reason our way through? Can there ever be a reason for our existence, or are we making them up as we go along?

All this is to say that it’s been a brief period of mental frustration and uncertainty for me (not helped by poor paper prompts and a novice instructor), a state which, while essential, tires me out. So…to segue, I’d like now to argue for the beauty of pure competition, an arena which declares purpose in wonderfully specific terms: to win, or to lose.

This is why, I think, sports can provide such profound mental relief. There is something truly serene about unabashedly rooting for a team whose success will supply you with a very pure kind of joy. It’s a joy that we find relatively infrequently (and for good reason; life is about a little more than winning and losing, and rarely offers the tangible vindication each provides), but one that is necessary nonetheless. Without these occasional moments of certainty, it’s very possible to be consumed by ambiguity, paralyzed by endless reflection and contemplation. Sports fanatacism allows us the security of knowing exactly what we wish for. In short, it engages us in the purest form of desire, and, when the game is over, allows us to return to our uncertain lives.

This being said, if my Hawkeyes get beat by Northwestern this Saturday, expect my mood to be a little less philosophical. Pure joy may come from sports, yes, but it’s accompanied by an equally pure pain when your team loses (although, being a Cubs fan, I’ve grown accustomed…).

Update: And…Iowa loses to Northwestern 22-17. So much for pure joy.