Below is an article from the Clay News
Commentary- Adversity
Written by Richard Reynolds- CCHS teacher
One Step Forward
Adversity has become a buzz word in the Sports world today. Listen to any broadcaster, sports talk show or coach for any length of time and eventually you will hear how the word "adversity."
A few years ago when Kevin Winslow was playing for the University of Miami and used the analogy of the football game being like "going to war" he was ridiculed by individuals in the media from every segment of the country from coast to coast. Yet we hear how a team learned about adversity by coming back from being two touchdowns down in the forth quarter. When the Boston Red Sox were down and trailing the Cleveland Indians recently many of the talk shows mentioned that they overcame "adversity" and therefore learned character which gives them an advantage in the World Series.
Listen to ESPN, CBS, FOX or local radio talk show host and you will hear this word being used in relationship to something happening during a game. Cries should cry out from shore to shore that this is not adversity.
This is a perversion of the word. Adversity is not starting out the season losing or not running for a hundred yards in a game with the San Diego Chargers, but it is waking up and being evacuated from your home because of a wild fire that is out of control. Real adversity is the Tight End recently injured for the Buffalo Bills that is dealing with the possibility of not being able to ever walk again after an injury during a recent game. Adversity is not Kurt Schilling dealing with a bloody sock in a World Series or any other numerous Sports events that are now related to the word even to the point that is becoming synonymous with the word!
Adversity is known by the woman and her family that is in the process of fighting breast cancer. Adversity is known by the family that is learning first hand this year what the word "downsize" means because after many years of productive service to a company now a steady paycheck has become a distant memory. Adversity is the mother attempting to raise a family when the father has decided that he really only wanted to donate a chromosome and now does not want to do the rest that goes along with what it takes to go from fathering to being a "dad". Adversity is known by the Parents sitting in Children’s Hospital knowing that no matter how much they would like to help their child overcome their sickness that they are absolutely helpless and all they can do is to stand by watching and praying.
As the Baseball season comes to an end with the World Series and Football is beginning to get to the series time of the BCS, high school play offs and the professional teams are beginning to say that every game is critical realize that adversity when correctly used is so much more than a sporting event.
During this time of the year is when we turn to think of the holidays and we should think of those who are truly experiencing the harshness of adversity of life every day. Then get your class at school, your civic organization, your church or as an individual to becoming involved during this holiday season in helping making someone’s adversity that they are experiencing being just a little bit less. Help make the day of a widow…become a Big Brother/Big Sister…give a helping hand to someone out of work…being willing to help a class at a local school even though you do not have a child or all your children are grown…in some way or another dedicate yourself to opening your eyes to noticing true cases of adversity and becoming a person that is willing to do something about the adversity that people in our community are experiencing.
Even though we have a great community, there are always people that are experiencing adversity. If Auburn or Alabama was down two touchdowns any Saturday, we would want them to overcome adversity and win. We should be that passionate about helping the members of our community this Holiday season and around the year in overcoming the true adversity of life.
