Note: I use the word epiphany not in the context of Christian theology, but as a reference to insight or revelation.
I was sitting in my car, at a ridiculously early hour: the dark was only just starting its morning resistance against the inevitable furor of dawn. And I had been thinking about a JRE podcast I had watched prior to leaving the house. Joe Rogan was interviewing Teddy Atlas: a man who had been close to Mike Tyson during the famous boxer's early career, and was reflecting on Tyson's ascendency into boxing history.
Now I have barely a layman's knowledge of life inside, or even near, the "squared circle." But the accounting of Tyson's career was not what grabbed my attention. It was what the man said about fighting. He said, "To me, a fight is not a fight, until there's resistance; until there's something to overcome. Something... to overcome. Otherwise, it's just an athletic venture; it's an exhibition. I think life is that."
I've heard more times than I can count, about how life is a fight; how struggling to overcome the challenges before us, makes us better. Whether it's becoming an adult, or how we evolve into an exceptional leader or icon in our careers; it's all about the puzzles we've solved, the hurdles we've faced. But it wasn't until Teddy Atlas burned that concept into this particular formation of words, that the ideas behind those rough but brilliant sentences ripped through my heart with a supernova's intensity.
I think that's one of the reasons I love language: it's a never-ending battle between two or more creatures to make sense of what at least one of them is trying to say. It happens every day, in every language, and across species. (Just try and tell your cat to cl0se the bedroom door she just pushed open, or let Fido know he needs to take himself for his 7 a.m. walk.) Humor aside, our words have incredible power. Thus it's vital that, as our language changes, we don't forget to think before we communicate. It can mean the difference between creating bonds, or severing them.
If you would like to see and hear this street philosopher's moving insights, here's the link:
Start at 2:45 and end around 5:00. Or watch the rest if you're a boxing fan.