We as a country, have lost the capability to have civil dialogue because we are convinced, each of us, that we are absolutely, unerringly, undoubtedly right-and anyone with an opposing viewpoint has to have intellectual deficits!My (not very likable but fascinating) past time is reading comments on slightly controversial articles.Oh,the crazies that jump out!!The implications made!The persons in high office blamed if your egg didn't turn out runny enough in the morning!!
As our election rigamarole proved,we are more divided than ever and you know what they say-"United we stand,divided we fall".
In the midst of this drops the cyclist with an unbelievable record and an unbelievable back story to go with it.Turns out- none of us should have believed it in the first place anyway!!
Funnily,I lost my respect for the guy when he gave up on his wife after she stood by him through his cancer and the work towards the race and also the childbearing and child-rearing while he was off setting, now known to be bogus, records.Maybe the divorce was her idea-she figured out he was a monster.Maybe it was his-he wanted to be free of any encumbrances.So I felt that he did not put as much work into salvaging his marriage as he did into his cycling career.In hind sight,he had a great deal of help with the latter and I think steroids don't really help the non-physical aspect of a marriage does it?Anyway,I lost any admiration I had for the guy after that.When he split with Sheryl Crow and her cancer story came out ,I felt vindicated because it seemed like he did not want to look beyond himself and be there for anyone but himself.So him winning any accolades did not elate me and his fall did not surprise me.
But the term sociopath stumps me. Merriam Webster defines sociopathic as:
of, relating to, or characterized by asocial or antisocial behavior or exhibiting antisocial personality disorder.
So let's not give Armstrong a medical condition to take shelter under.No excuses-no insanity plea.I am sure the lawsuits will start any minute now and while it is not going to be pleasant ,at least the multitude of people who were trampled by him and his legal team will feel vindicated. Justice at last!!
At least he owned up..a bit late though. I feel sad at the state of affairs. That is why I am passionate about teaching - my kids and others. I believe that if we expose them to good values and ethics, it is there before them when they have to choose. The hope is that the choice they make would be closer to the ethical one.
ReplyDeleteAnother good piece.