The quest for a leveled-playing field is fruitless, especially once we are born. Many of us, should be shamed to ask that the playing field in our various pursuits be equaled out. The equality begins and ends the moment we are born, and after that, everyone's playing field is adjusted, for cause(s). What cause(s)? Let's keep it real and conclude that nature herself is the biggest orchestrator of the unleveled playing field in our lives: Here are some ways our playing fields are unleveled: skin color, hair color, hair length, eye color. The causes are beauty, and attractiveness, too tall or too short. The causes are sickness or health; The causes of income; wealth; which side of the tracks we were born on, or what side of the family we come from. There is always a cause for an unleveled playing field in our lives. And as much as we would like for the playing field to be leveled, or hope for an equal shot at life, we know that from birth, we need to be in the ready-set-go mode before that proverbial starter-pistol (called birth) has been fired. After that, life has a way of taking the unleveled playing field that so many of us may face day in and day out, and turn it totally upside down.
Many of us are handicapped for so many of the causes we mentioned above, that by the time we realize we are in a race for greatness, we are hoping that someone will give us a chance to catch up. Keeping it real: it aint gon’ happen. Who knows that if Mario Andretti, Race Car Champion, ever slowed his car down to let the others catch up on the Indianapolis Speedway, or in the NASCAR races? Who knows that if Muhammed Ali (Professional Boxer) threw a few less punches for his opponents Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, or George Foreman, just so he could not become the Heavyweight Champion of the World? Who knows if Lebron James, Basketball great, pulled back a few shots of basketball just so the other team could catch up? Or, who knows if Venus and Serena Williams (Tennis Champions) allowed a few good balls to get past them just so someone could catch up with them at Wimbledon? Exactly!
The point is, from this point on in our lives, we need an unleveled playing field for those of us who aspire to be great at who we want to be. We want the challenge of an unleveled-playing field. We want our field to be wet and sloppy like the racetracks at Louisville’s Kentucky Derby; we want our field to have as many sand dunes like an 18-hole golf course, or whatever difficult surfaces it can be, so that we can take on life’s worst challenges, and then, when it is all said and done, we come out on top. And the field that we would have played on, it did not define us, it did not make us. We defined ourselves.
Keeping it real, we have to convince ourselves that the unleveled playing field that so many of us perceive in our lives, is the greatest opportunity to overcome something that tests our ability to overcome adversities. The greater the unlevel playing field in our lives, the greater we have the opportunity to be who we want to be. So, each and everyday, we want to assess the playing field that is ours to run, ours to walk, ours to climb, or ours to knock down. For everyone of us, every unleveled playing field is not a measure of inequality, but a testament to our greatness, for us to overcome the trials and tribulations that life has put before us.
If we continue using as an excuse, the unleveled playing field, as the reason for us not to get started on who we will eventually become, the fighting chance that we so often seek, becomes the crutch that we use to stand down, to wait on, or to hope for something great to happen in our lives. Today, our unleveled playing field awaits us. Or, we can sit around, and wait for someone else to level the playing field to make it easier for us. Or worse yet, allow someone else to take on our unleveled playing field. The choice is ours.
Disclaimer: Information provided here is deemed to be from reliable sources and not guaranteed. No information provided here should be considered as legal or professional advice.
The Shameless Pursuit of the Leveled Playing Field © 2014 by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr.
The Coveted Commandment: Thou Shalt Build Wealth © 2014 by Wayne Dan Lewis, Sr.
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