I wish I was quoting Walt Whitman here and some readers may already be guessing Ted Lasso. The former, and famed literary legend, coined the expression and it then was borrowed for a sit com.
Be Curious, Not Judgmental
Fourth of July gave us many reasons once again to reflect on being curious and not judgmental. A dear friend of mine lives just north of Chicago with his wife and two school age kids – I sent a text to him about ten minutes after news had broke about a shooter in Highland Park, IL. He responded back quickly, (thankfully), that his troupe was safe, but it was terrible stuff. He said the whole place was on lockdown (shelter in place) and the shooter was still at large. The rest of us later learned what a tragic event unfolded on Independence Day.
For those less familiar with Walt Whitman, he’s the Leaves of Grass author and also penned a personal favorite of mine, O Captain! My Captain! He was a burly dude from Long Island and a quick Wikipedia read will ramble off one controversy after another. What readers may not know is he began his career as a teacher in the one-room schoolhouses of Long Island. He continued to teach until 1841, when he turned to journalism as a full-time career. Along with Emily Dickinson, he is considered one of America’s most important poets.
Ted Lasso is a longer conversation for likely a part 2 and another day. It’s a series on Apple TV that follows an American college football coach who is hired to coach an English soccer team despite not knowing anything about the new sport. I should point out here I never would have watched the show, even after my wife was well into it, had it not been for a slow tv option night. As it turns out, Ted Lasso’s first season was nominated for 20 Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the most nominated freshman comedy in Emmy Award history. Lasso the character is from the Midwest and has an approachable, self-deprecating charm. His Lasso-isms are being embraced as societal gems; plain talk morals for you and me to consider:
“Back where I’m from, you try to end a game in a tie; well, that might as well be the first sign of the apocalypse.”
“If the internet has taught us anything, it’s that sometimes it’s easier to speak our minds anonymously.”
“Jamie, I think that you might be so sure that you’re one in a million, that sometimes you forget that out there, you’re just 1 of 11.”
“For me, success is not about the wins and losses. It’s about helping these young fellas be the best versions of themselves on and off the field.”
“You know what the happiest animal on Earth is? It’s a goldfish. Y’know why? It’s got a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish.”
“You say impossible, but all I hear is ‘I’m possible.’”
And the capstone I wrestle with on most days:
“It’s the hope that kills you.’ Y’all know that? I disagree, you know. I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief.”
These days reserving judgement seems fanciful – I’m more worried about us racing to conclusions than waiting for too close area answers. To my buddy Brett who lived this most recent scare, I’m selfishly glad you answered my text because it told me you and yours were alright. That wasn’t me being curious (per se) or judgmental; that was me being me and making sure a buddy I see sparingly was alright some 900 miles away along with his wife and two kids. I’m sure Ted Lasso would agree people should always come first…
What if? Why Not? 