MJ is 50, and the greatest of all time

ESPN has been all over Michael Jordan's 50th birthday this week. Lots of commentary about his legendary play, inevitable comparisons to current day stars like LeBron and Kobe. OTL has a great article about his legacy and current life you can read HERE.

For my money, I think MJ was the greatest of all time. His natural talents were obviously top flight, but the commitment (or was it obsession?), work ethic, competitiveness were what made him the best. The OTL article outlines that today at 50 years old, he wants to win and still thinks he could be competitive.

But the OTL article also outlines what I believe is a common side-effect of this level of achievement: isolation. You see, nobody can relate to him. Nobody can walk a mile in his Air Jordans. Nobody knows the pressures that come with the title of "the greatest". Now don't mistake my comments for pity, Jordan's life ain't too shabby. But I think most people see the fame and money and don't realize there are also negative consequences.

People naturally want to compare MJ to LeBron because of LeBron's gaudy stats, especially this year. But if you want the current day comparison, don't look at LeBron, look at the Lakers KOBE BRYANT. You see, LeBron's as interested if not more interested in being a brand, something that Michael created. He wants to be liked, want's to be told he's King James like Dwight Howard's insecurity. Have a 60 minute TV special to announce you are "taking your talents to South Beach". Sure he wants to win, but he's already shrunk into the corner in more big NBA moments than MJ, Kobe, Magic, and Bird combined! Kobe, straight up assassin. He'd knock down your Mama if she was between him and a ring. And that's what made MJ the greatest.

Oh, and before you start typing, don't mistake my commentary about Kobe and MJ as admiration. If I would have received the God-given gifts that any of these guys had, I'd probably fall more into the "Like Me" camp than the "Assassin" camp. But the reality is, if you want to be the best, you've got to be willing to trample a few less-worthy that stand in your way.

Brad on extremism, another angle

I'm reading a book called The Will To Climb by Ed Viesturs. As you may know, he is the most successful American mountaineer in modern history, being among other things the first American and one of the few in the world to summit all 14 8,000 meter peaks without the use of supplemental oxygen.

His books are very thoughtful and pragmatic on the topic of climbing. The quote below is quite relevant to our extremism conversation:

"I'm a firm believer in the value of commitment...but I'm leery of commitment's close cousin, obsession."

He goes on to discuss the potential of a dichotomy between commitment and obsession or whether commitment is good while obsession is bad. As he says "The whole business is more complex and subtler than that."

So am I committed or obsessed with my pursuits? Rather than discuss that, what about others? Is someone who works 12 hour days 6 days a week committed or obsessed? What about the "extreme" churchgoer, devouring services, small groups, and seminars? Doesn't the same spectrum exist in nearly every human pursuit?

And now we're full circle back to Marc's post on extremism...

Brad on extremists - where does it stop?

If you have that interest in pushing your limits, where does it stop?

That's a great question that creates waves in my family. Sheila knows I'm restless and is worried (rightfully so) at what's the next crazy idea I'm going to announce. She's seen this progression in me over the last decade and wonders how much time away from my family for training, traveling, et cetera will be enough. She reiterated when I returned from Kilimanjaro that "Everest is off the table". I whole-heartedly agree...for now.

Its a troubling question for me as well since I at times don't enjoy the restless and empty feeling that I need to pursue the next challenge. There is certainly a part of me that wants to be satisfied, not to want to train, suffer, research, and be away from my wife and girls for some largely selfish pursuit of a race or summit or faraway place. I think I'll know when it is time to say enough, if I ever get there. But as long as I have a supportive family, a flexible job with understanding leadership, and the financial means what can stand in my way?

Extremists?

Simmer down t-shirt boy.  You lumped yourself in that group, not me!

Brad, I can't say as I TOTALLY understand what you're saying, but I kinda get it.  But whatever strand of DNA that is, it's not in my blood.

I have to agree with Ed on a couple of points.  First, although there ARE people who want to "find the limit" of their physical and mental abilities, I guarantee that the "Tough Mudder" and "Spartan Race" crowd has very few of those people.  I would love to see a survey of Tough Mudder participants about the degree of their preparation for the race.  My guess is that the majority of the participants did little to no preparation at all.  Those people don't qualify under your description Brad.

If you read through my earlier post again, I referenced "extreme" athletes who push themselves to the limits for the purpose of competition, because that's what it takes to be at the "top of their game".  I get that.  I also understand people like you, Brad, who must actually train to accomplish the feats that you set out to do.  I'd venture a guess to say that there aren't a lot of people that hop on a plane willy nilly and fly to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro.  Nobody signs up for a marathon and shows up the day of the race with a new pair of shoes that they bought on the way from Denny's to the starting line.  I doubt that people decide to climb Everest and show up at the base of the mountain asking directions about the best way to the top.  There is a HUGE difference between people who seek to push their limits in a way that requires training and preparation to accomplish it, and people who show up to run a 5K that happens to have some hanging cattle prods and people shooting you with fire hoses.  That's the t-shirt crowd, and that's what I don't get.

Another point that Ed made that I tend to agree with was his question about where it stops.  I am curious about your feeling of emptiness on the mountain and your immediate swing to "what's next?"  What does it take to make a man say, "That's enough."  Is it physical exhaustion that requires a trip to the hospital?  Is it a near death experience?  Is it a mental breakdown that forces you to admit defeat?  I'm just curious how someone like you (not the t-shirt crowd) ever reaches that point where you aren't empty anymore.  Do you have any thoughts on that?

We probably won't ever come completely to terms on this, and I'm okay with that.  Admittedly, I'm a little fascinated by people who feel the need to test their limits, primarily because I've never been one who has felt that need.  I don't really think one way is right and the other is wrong.  It's just different.  Having just finished Pete Sampras' book, and Andre Agassi's book not long before that, there couldn't be more different people in the tennis world, and yet in the realm of professional tennis they both had absolutely amazing results.

Ultimately I guess it comes down to what makes you tick.  Do they sell "I climbed Kilimanjaro" t-shirts??

Brad on Out of Touch

Here's my knowledge base for current music:

The Black Keys YES, Dad saw a deal on 60 minutes about them and likes them. So how out of touch does that make YOU feel.
Fun YES, front man is from Iowa City
Gotye YES family favorite song
Kimbra YES
Frank Ocean
Taylor Swift YES
Mumford and Sons YES, a Sheila favorite
Jack White
Ed Sheeran
Miguel
Carly Rae Jepsen YES, who doesn't love them some Call Me Maybe
Kelly Clarkson YES
Florence and the Machine YES
Maroon 5 YES, Adam Levine of of the most talented in music right now
Pink YES

So that makes me 11 of 15. I listen to the radio quite a bit, usually in 5-7 minute increments during my commute. It gives me a decent feel for the 25 songs they play over and over.

So I win? What do I get for being THE MOST EXTREME CURRENT MUSIC EXPERT OF THE FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ed on Out of Touch

Here's the list from Marc's post about being out of touch  And I wondered how many of these artists my kids would recognize and know versus me, as the way cool hipster Dad.  Haley is taking a nap and therefore not available for the tally, but here is the tally for Alex and Luke and me.

So, here's the tally ...

The Black Keys
Fun (Alex, Luke, Ed)
Gotye (Alex, Luke)
Kimbra (Alex)
Frank Ocean
Taylor Swift (Alex, Luke, Ed)
Mumford and Sons (Alex, Luke)
Jack White
Ed Sheeran
Miguel
Carly Rae Jepsen (Alex, Luke, Ed)
Kelly Clarkson (Alex, Luke, Ed)
Florence and the Machine (Alex, Luke)
Maroon 5 (Alex, Luke, Ed)
Pink (Alex, Luke, Ed)

So the final score was:  Alex (10/15), Luke (9/15), Ed (6/15).  I suspect Haley would know even more than Alex.

So yes, it does mean that we (and by we I mean the BTAW brothers) are getting old!  Brad, feel free to chime in and woo us with the depth and breadth of your current music scene awareness.

Ed on Extreme

I understand both Brad and Marc's position, and both posts are good ones.  

But my question for Brad is why?  Why push to your limits?  What is gained?  Sure, you learn how much your body can achieve but is that really why most people take to these extreme challenges?  As an official non-member of the extreme club I don't think so.  I would suggest most have something to prove to others, and that they aren't doing it just for themselves.  Money, fame, status or whatever, I'm calling out "most" extreme seekers and suggesting these are the real reasons for their pursuits.  Brad may have more noble reasons, but I don't think he's in the majority among his extreme seeking clubbers.

And for Marc I would suggest that stretch is always a good thing.  And yes, stretch is different than extreme.  But most regular Joe's don't realize there is as much elasticity in their capability as they actually have.  As people we getting better from adversity.  And while I don't like adversity any more than anyone else, we always seem to grow, develop and get better from facing it.  When it comes to my psyche content rests very close to complacent, and the line between the two is often blurry.  So I need the urging to continually improve and get better.  That's just me, again no presumption that you are the same.

So as with most things the value is in the middle.  Just like an Oreo.

When I spoke to Brad this weekend it was interesting to me that he was uncomfortable with the banner of "lunatic", but much more comfortable with "fringe lunatic".  Ah, he likes the inside edge of extreme.  And Marc, would you be comfortable with the outside edge of comfortable, which I might describe as stretch?  If so, then then you two are a lot closer than you think.

And this discovery would mean you both are both wrong ... and I'm RIGHT.  Now that's an extreme position that I'm very comfortable with!

Brad on extreme

A great topic about which I'm surely and rightfully implicated as the extreme of the brothers. I think Ed actually referred to me this weekend as a "fringe lunatic", a moniker I accepted. Marc, you are missing the point of extreme physical challenges by distilling it to the t-shirt. Maybe that's the case for some, but for most it is about something completely different, and something which I think based on previous comments you have an equally difficult time understanding.

For me, doing something extreme like Kilimanjaro, ironman triathlon, mountain bike trips, etc. is all about seeing if I can. I started endurance events simply because I wanted to see if I could. I ran a 5K no problem, what about a 10K? A half marathon later I was thinking Chicago Marathon. Then triathlon since I hadn't done it. First a sprint, then olympic, 1/2 ironman, trained (and still regret not completing) the full ironman. Not for a t-shirt, but because I wanted to see if I could do it. When you push the limits of physical endurance you learn an incredible amount about your physical and mental ability, and it is far greater than you ever imagined. But the only way to really find out how far you can go is just to get out there and do it.

I think Sheila would say that when it comes to physical challenges I'm quite restless. Running, triathlons, mountains, and more. There is so much I want to try, to have the experience and see that I can. It is why, after 5 days and 6 difficult hours in the middle of the night on Kilimanjaro and successfully reaching the summit, as soon as on the way down I was thinking about what was next. You see, I realized in the dark and cold of that mountain, that my body and mind could achieve so much more. That mountain hadn't emptied me, taken all from me that I could give. I had more to give would that mountain have demanded it of me.

I've done a good bit of reading about high altitude mountaineering and a common flood of emotion at the top of a large mountain is among other things: emptiness. I attribute that emptiness to a couple of scenarios, one of which is knowing there was more to give, there was more to achieve. It pales in comparison, but on the summit of Kilimanjaro I was deeply satisfied with my effort and achievement, but I did immediately think about what more I could do if it was asked of me. Perhaps some would translate that thought to an empty feeling.

I won't even try to comment on the topic of religious extremism or restlessness. But I would ask that you not cheapen the idea of extreme effort in sport as mindless bravado or t-shirt seeking.

Out of Touch

Some old guys, Hall and Oates, that are more from my generation musically speaking, would say that I'm out of touch.  I looked at the nominees from the following categories:

Record of the Year
Album of the Year
Song of the Year
Best Pop Vocal Album

So now I'll list the artists and put a double asterisk (**) following the ones that I've even HEARD of.  All of the others, well, I'm out of touch!

The Black Keys
Fun
Gotye
Kimbra
Frank Ocean
Taylor Swift **
Mumford and Sons **
Jack White
Ed Sheeran
Miguel
Carly Rae Jepsen
Kelly Clarkson **
Florence and the Machine **
Maroon 5 **
Pink **

Ed, I imagine that with your kids being the ages that they are, you're a little more on top of it than the rest of us.  Admittedly, I don't really ever listen to the radio, I don't keep company with anyone who has their pulse on the current music scene, and most of the music on my iPod is 15+ years old.  The only reason that I don't feel like a total ostrich with my head in the sand is because I happen to be a huge fan of the band that won Best Country Album: Zac Brown Band.

Oh, and I did recognize LL Cool J - at least when they played that old American Bandstand clip!

Extreme

One of my (many) problems is that I can think about a certain topic on and off for days, sit down to write about it, and have no idea where to start, or how to run a thread through it so that it's somewhat coherent.  I often daydream about an alternate life that I live in which I get paid to publish a weekly Op Ed piece and therefore have seven days to write and rewrite my thoughts in order to sound like a genius, take home a Writers Guild of America award, and then get invited to do guest spots on Stephen Colbert and the Jimmy Fallon show.  What was I going to write about?  I know I'm in trouble when I can't even think of a title for the post.

I didn't dig through the archives (wow, I just had a great idea for a way to keep our posts in a way to make them searchable) but I believe that we've had some discussion in the past about things that make humans tick, the drive that pushes some people to test their physical limits.  The source of my untraceable thought trail has been the ever increasing popularity of events like "tough mudders" and "spartan races".  I, for one, am amazed that people spend money to endure less then pleasant conditions.

We enjoyed a mud run on one of our boys weekends a couple of years ago, but for me the key word there is "enjoyed".  Doing some fun obstacles, mud diving, and getting a little dirty is all in good fun.


But cattle prods?  Getting pummeled with pugil sticks?  Swimming through ice water?  Running through fire?  Blasted with fire hoses?  Sounds like fun if I get to wear a Navy SEAL Trident when I finish, but not for a t-shirt.  Since these type of races are really popular now, where will it stop?  Which race will have the "most extreme" obstacle that results in the death of one of the participants? 

It seems to me that the "extreme" nature of sports came from those that were so dedicated to excelling that they pushed themselves beyond limits to win, to try to beat everyone else in whatever it was.  But now people just want to endure something and then get a t-shirt for it.  People aren't enduring ridiculous levels of training to try to win an event, they are enduring a certain amount of discomfort for a t-shirt.  I just don't get it.

Here's where my train of thought starts derailing, so hold on tight.  Maybe this is a separate blog altogether, but this stuff is all vaguely connected in my noggin.

Extremes are American.  I suppose that if I tried to trace it historically I could write a book about it.  I remember how popular Evil Knievel was when we were kids.  I would say he was extreme.  It's not new since 2000.  It's been around for awhile.  Why?  Where does it come from?  What is in the fabric of our culture that screams "extreme"?

I believe that religious institutions take on some of the cultural characteristics of their host countries.  I've noted how American Christianity has taken on the "all or nothing" and "extreme" nature of our culture.  I'm not sure that I necessarily agree with its application in the realm of faith.  Let me just stop for a moment to say that I accept that I am biased on the topic, but here are my thoughts none-the-less.  

You've both heard me mention before that one of my favorite authors is Donald Miller.  I like him so much because the tenor of his thoughts on God is one of contentment in what God has given to us, contentment is simply BEING, being His child.  I find great comfort in knowing the my faith is not just another part of my life that I need to try harder, to do better, to "take it to the next level".  But you can find plenty of Christian authors who disagree.  Just read "extreme" in between the lines of the titles of these books from the "Christian Living" section of Amazon:

- The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth am I Here For?
- Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
- Follow Me: A Call to Die.  A Call to Live.
- Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus
- Heroic Faith: How to Live a Life of Extreme Devotion
- Soul Revolution: How Imperfect People Become All God Intended
- Risk is Right: Better to Lose Your Life Than to Waste It

Do you see it?  Apparently even my faith is supposed to be extreme.  Who wants to be a lame-ass normal person?  Don't you want to be an extreme Christian?  

I understand the benefit of taking risk.  I understand the value to completely trusting God.  But I also understand, in my own belief, that not everyone in the world is going to start a non-profit that feeds 1000 homeless people a week.  I understand that every homeless shelter needs someone to stand in the line once or twice a week and scoop out soup for the homeless.  Every church needs someone to hand out programs to people when they walk in.  I don't doubt their faith or trust in God because they didn't tell their wife and four kids they were quitting their job at the bank to go to seminary and become the pastor of their own church.

Whenever I start ranting, there is an increased likelihood that I'll be misunderstood, so let me pause for a moment.  I'm not saying that God doesn't gift some people with "extreme" faith.  The Bible is full of people who had faith, sometimes beyond understanding.  God can call any of us at any time to step out in faith, and He just might call a man with a wife and four kids to quit his job to go to seminary.  I can't rule that out.

But I believe that in this world what Jesus would want people to have is peace and rest.  

 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  (Matthew 11:28-30) The Message

I know that for me personally I am being told in nearly every facet of my life that I need to be better.  For me personally, and I realize that religion, and specifically Christianity, means different things to different people, but for ME, the comfort I find in my faith is that God loves me exactly as I am right now, at this very moment, and no matter what I might or might not do in the future, he cannot love me any more or any less than he already does.  God is not waiting for me to get "extreme" in my faith.  I believe that what he wants is for me to enjoy the length that he went to to have a relationship with me.  There is nothing I can do.

I admit that it's all very complicated.  I understand accountability, I understand seeking to improve, to be better, etc.  But if I ran a church, the focus of my teaching would be on how much God loves you RIGHT NOW.  No ifs, ands, buts, or "so you should…" additions to the end.  That's it.  That's the message.  You're not a second rate son or daughter of heaven because you haven't signed up for the latest spiritual version of a Spartan race.  You don't have to do anything that is Oprah show worthy to feel good about where you are in God's eyes.  I hate when people walk out of church feeling like they don't stack up, because Jesus did away with that system.  It's called grace.

"I'll show you how to take a real rest."  

Superbowl: The Remix

Looks like we're all in agreement on the Superbowl this year.  I actually watched it, which I think was probably the first full game of the season that I sat through.  Not because it was so incredibly compelling, but because that's what you do at a Superbowl party!

I think the media was hoping for the Ray Lewis fairy tale ending so there hasn't been much discussion of what I thought were a metric butt ton of no calls that went in favor of the Ravens.  I thought the refereeing was mediocre at best, but like I said, the NFL wanted the Ravens to win.  I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theory guy, but I have no idea how you DON'T call pass interference on that last 49ers fourth down play.  

I find it odd and irritating that discovering the cause of the Superbowl power outage has somehow become more important than anything else on the planet.  Does anybody really care how the power went out?  I don't.

My general interest in the NFL and football in general wanes from year to year.  I'm not even sure how much longer I will even claim to follow it at all.  

Brad on college with a twist

Interesting thoughts all around, including Mr. Cuban's. In lieu of covering the same items in an insignificantly different way, I'll touch on one specific component of the discussion: immediate gratification and our society's unattraction to long term rewards. The changes in our college delivery model are no different than the fast food mentality of most of the rest of our society. Cuban referenced it in regards to newspapers, everyone now expects news to be delivered instantly; and distilled preferably to 140 characters or less. The problem is that your education is the underpinning of the next 40-50 years of your professional life, and even if you can, you might reconsider getting that as fast, as convenient, or as inexpensively as possible. When was the last time you gave up the immediate for the potential for something long term?

To connect back to one of Ed's thoughts, college is also about maturity. It is about developing social skills, independence, interdependence, learning that you aren't as special as your Mom and Dad said you were growing up. How do you get this without the context of brick and mortar? How do you develop social skills and not just technical skills? In my career my knowledge got me a chance at the table, but my ability to communicate, solve problems, and work with/lead others is what got me promoted. Can you develop these skills by reviewing powerpoints and reading books? I don't think so. You develop far greater skills by having the experience I did: confronting a professor who erroneously accuses you of cheating, talking a buddy into buying you one more beer when you ran out of money, playing hours of basketball with complete strangers and developing relationships based purely on sport, arguing with roomates over the cleanliness of the sink. These opportunities not only teach you how to be successful professionally, but how to coexist personally.

Brad's Kilimanjaro/Tanzania trip summary

I could bore all of you with hours of stories and hundreds of pictures (480 actually), but I'll be brief with a summary of my trip to Kilimanjaro. My trip to Kilimanjaro was excellent and as I expected, it was a great accomplishment and was satisfying to check that one off my bucket list. I was fortunate to be able to share the experience with 4 good friends. That said as my time in Tanzania wound to a close, I was definitely ready to get back to my family and re-engage with my two little ladies.

After a day and a half of travel we arrived in Arusha, Tanzania. Arusha has 1.5M people and is bustling with activity. We spent our first day traveling to and visiting a primary school in the village of Kibosho at the base of Kilimanjaro. 400 kids in grades 1-7, about 60 per classroom. The rooms were in stone, open air buildings with dirt floors and bench seating. The teachers had 1-3 workbooks for any activity per class so most instruction was done on a chalk board. Going to school is a privilege, even in these conditions, as many kids either cannot travel the distance necessary or need to work (on farms). The kids are eager to learn, but have so many barriers in front of them. It is amazing the luxuries we have in the US. One other note, most kids were carrying bottles with them which were drinking water. The interesting part is 25% of the bottles were either antifreeze or laundry detergent bottles that had been washed out.

Our 7 days on the mountain was as expected. The five of us had a support crew of 22 people consisting of 5 guides and 17 porters for carrying supplies like food, tents, etc.

The porters were incredibly hard working, carrying 60+ pound loads up the mountain balanced on their head or shoulders. They do so in many cases without proper clothing and footwear for a wage of $5-$8 per day. For more information about the porters see the link here. We passed through different ecological zones including cultivated crop and forest areas, rainforest, heath, moreland, alpine desert, and the summit. The weather is very dynamic on the mountain with clouds and rain flowing in and out of the valleys and over the mountain like tides of the ocean. After 5 1/2 days of hiking from around 7,000 we reached the summit of 19,341 at sunrise on Sunday January 27th. It was beautiful with views of Mawenzi to the East, Mt. Meru to the West and glaciers surrounding the crater rim.

The next 1 1/2 days was hiking out back down to the Mweka gate where we finished our hiking. Our guides, cook, and porters took amazing care of us, allowing us all to have a great experience and successfully reach the summit of the mountain.

The rest of my party left early the next morning for a 4 day safari, but I stayed behind leaving that night for home. Having the day before my flight, I went to Arusha National Park at the base of neighboring peak Mt. Meru to do a mini safari. It was a worthy spend of time as I got to see giraffes, water buffalo, zebra, blue monkeys, baboons, flamingoes, water bucks, dik diks (small deer), and an array of birds living wild in the park.

After 36 hours of travel back from Arusha via Dar Es Salaam, Amsterdam and Chicago I arrived home at 8pm Wednesday night the 30th. Along the way I got some sleep, read the last Hunger Games book, and enjoyed all the Schipol airport in Amsterdam had to offer (dirtbag shower in the bathroom, art museum, and American food including Starbucks).

An amazing experience and one for which I'll be grateful in terms of both the mountain experience and the Tanzanian people. Tanzania is a beautiful place full of wonderfully peaceful and curious people that have optimism far beyond their conditions. It was a learning opportunity for me and the lessons from it which I'll work hard to keep close as I get back to my normal life and routine.

Superbowl - TGI - OVER!

The compelling story lines of Ray Lewis' dream run and swan song, the Harbaugh family success, the Colin Kapernick/pistol/zone-read evolution of the game were exhausting! And I was lucky enough to be out of the country and completely disconnected for most of the 2 week runup to the big game. The game is an absolute zoo with too little substance and too much marketing. Ad agencies, PR firms, marketing companies go crazy over media day, go nuts over commercials, the halftime show pomp & circumstance. Ugh!

You know what the Superbowl was like for me? During the first half I watched about 4 plays as I enjoyed 10-ish kids under the age of 5 running around together at a neighbors house. Sheila and I put the girls to bed and settled in to watch the 2nd half. I fell asleep about 5 minutes in and woke up when the referees were blowing one of many calls by not calling holding 11 times during the punt/safety by the Ravens. Wow, what a game! Good night, I'm not going to Disneyland. #whocares