NotebookThe Villanova Student Managers
(ESPN)
The Internet gives escape with a click. Television shows and video games turn us into zombies for hours. Blogs and message boards give us free reign to yell whatever vitriol and venom we feel, without consequence.
I often wonder what God thinks about it all. I wonder how He feels about us making gods out of ourselves. What has technology and advancement done to humanity?
It's taken us to a place where we can live good lives without God. We don't have to think about Him much. Heck, I don't feel like writing about Him. Well, check that—I write about Him all the time. Publishing that to the blog? It's heavy. I've started to like the lighthearted feel of things around here. It's more popular. My hits are going up and staying up. That's big-time, for us writers.
But it would be a lie for me to hide these things, to hold them back. They are too big a part of me. Especially when I see something like this.
Just take the 5 minutes and 31 seconds if you have them and watch it. You'll be glad you did.
Frankie and Nick have cerebral palsy. And yet they contribute to NCAA Division I basketball teams, and even more amazing, those teams and their coaches embrace and love them. These Villanova student managers represent something good about the technology and evolutionary advancement in our world. Life and purpose and beauty have been given to someone who 100 years ago couldn't function in society. Who would probably have died within days of being born.
Spit and drool ... it disgusts me. I nearly threw up just cleaning snot off my niece's face yesterday. I don't know what it is about that stuff, but I just can't handle it. I can't even clean an eye booger off my dog's face. It just ... ugggghhh. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. So yeah, I don't know that I'd be the best of friends or teammates or coaches to these Villanova managers.
Which really only goes to show that there are so many people in the world so much better than me.
I'm glad. Seeing what Villanova has done for these guys—yeah, there's a lump in my throat. They have life now because of technology. Because of what we, humanity, has accomplished. I look at them and I think God looks at them, and I think we both see love. And so we both see a reflection of Him.
Hat-tip to Tom Rinaldi and ESPN for fantastic work on the story.
Reader Comments (2)
I've seen something like this before. i think it was Georgia Bulldog football. In any case, it's an amazing thing that's being done here, and yeah, it does choke you up.
Incidentally, I used to hate droll and gunk....have a baby. you'd be surprised how fast that revulsion turns into the boring commonplace.
That's awesome, Paul. Maybe I should do a Google search and see what else I find.
And re: having a baby—this is what I keep telling my concerned wife. Every time I avoid my niece's snot and boogers and whatnot—usually by running away, screaming—she says, "So what are you going to do when we have kids?" I reply by saying it'll just be different with my kids. And I know it will be.
I just hope it's a good few years before I find out!