The SCENT that allures us

More than a year of blogging and not one entry about romance. Frankly, I didn’t know how to weave it in with all this speak of competition and unrelenting vigor. Can you hear the grunting? But a recent conversation brought to mind something we all can relate to – physical attraction. If you’ve been an athlete, you’ve been either a cold-hearted snake, a player distracted by love or the rare conscientious objector who trains like a machine emitting the snarl of a human bent on destroying friend and foe (I knew some dudes who were like that third one…for real).

But the reason I bring up love and all things gooey is because one of the pillars at the base of the 6ixth Man character model is something called SUBMISSION TO TRUTH. As if putting your own will aside wasn’t hard enough, couple the challenge with the endorphin rush of meeting a new love, a “boo”, su novia/o. How hard was it, is it, will it be to submit to the truth when that reality means choosing between a progressive move toward, say, a career and a special someone? Sure our economy is suffering and there’s still only a 1 in 3400 chance that you’ll get to the NBA. But those factors are often moot in light of a simple unwillingness to acquiesce to the non-romanticized truth.

At the heart of character worth having is the courage to know and submit to the truth when it says, this young lady is going to hamstring your efforts to serve humanity, to follow God, to train like a champion. Truth is not a respecter of persons nor does it feel familial loyalty to you and your whims. Truth is a gang buster whose pervasive presence makes barging in unnecessary. People always know when they’re dating the wrong person. That’s why they call into radio shows and chat on Facebook late at night. I’m not different. When I was fresh out of college, I was consumed with young love and submission to truth was an adversary to me. But misappropriated love, the summer camp-like romances we indulge in, have an expiration date at which point even the greatest of us must decide to either pursue greatness alongside someone who may or may not be willing or forfeit your purpose altogether in favor of the right now thrill of having a love interest. It made sense in my mind anyway. I gotta work on writing about subjects like this.

p.s. – Thanks to the friend who allowed me to pick on her indirectly in this post.