Be like YOU!

Well congrats to the San Antonio Spurs on winning their 4th NBA Title this decade. Several topics were discussed before, during, and even after this game was over. Are the Spurs a dynasty? Who's better: Shaq or Duncan? The question I want to focus on is whether or not LeBron James is the next Jordan. Now I may of been misleading with that last sentence because I really do not care who will be the next Jordan. I just find it interesting on how much I hear the athletes of today being compared to the athletes of our past.

What ever happened to telling people to be yourself or accepting people for who they are? Why be like Mike, when you could be something more? If anything we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and failure for the person under the microscope. This is not just a problem in the NBA, but is something that is seen in all popular sports. Even more amazing, is that these titles and expectations are often not created by the athletes, but by the critics and fans. We often challenge the athlete's humility and then criticize them when things do not go as expected. It can go even deeper than that.

How often do I find myself having expectations in others, only to be disappointment because I wanted them to be something that they were not. In church, I hear people warn us to never put God in a box or create a false image of Him, but what about people? Should we create false images of others and put them in a box? Why should it be the people of the past that set the bar, when we can go over it? Here are some simple facts that you probably already know about Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan was not perfect. Jordan did not always win and he did miss shots. Not every one of Jordan's fingers has a "ring". He smokes cigars. Now smoking cigars may seem like a petty thing to point out, but your lungs might think differently if they could think at all.

We talk so much about living in a society where we accept others for who they are and not judging, but we cannot stop ourselves from comparing. Despite how someone may look or act, they are still not that person. So do not look for the next "so and so" because there will never ever be another one of them, but if you keep your box empty, then you may see someone greater...or that person just may be YOU.