Thursday, July 18, 2013

Am I Enough?

The headline was painful to read, "Student Body Candidate Rigs Election", but the story was even worse.  A candidate for student body office first stole identities, then used them to vote for himself for student body president--650 times.  When he got caught, he fueled the flames of his demise by trying desperately to blame his actions on others.  What drove him to these extreme measures?  Why would he resort to such drastic measures, sacrificing his integrity and now his freedom just to win an election?
For this answer, I turn my thoughts to the ever deep and moving "Cool Runnings"  OK, maybe it isn't deep and moving, and it is 20 years old, and a rather enjoyable comedy, but there was a deeper message to the story.  Derice, a talented runner is denied a chance to compete in the Summer Olympics when he is tripped by Junior.  To fulfill his dreams of Olympic glory, he turns to the Winter Olympics and the sport of bobsledding.  While at the Olympics, he discovers that his coach cheated many years earlier so that he would be guaranteed a gold medal.  It is at this moment that Derice is forced to decide within himself if he is "enough" without a gold medal. As his coach predicts, he doesn't find out for certain that he is "enough" until he crosses the finish line.

And so it is with each of us.  Right now, I am running for the office of Mayor of my city.  It is a prestigious title, one that is coveted by many people throughout our state right now.  I could just as easily be seeking a position of President of a company, a position of Manager of a store, of even Student Body President at a university.  The question, however,  remains "Am I enough?"  Am I enough without being Mayor, President, or Manager?   I would argue that if anyone, like the misguided student body president candidate, or the bobsled coach feels that they have to sacrifice their integrity, then they will never be enough.  For really, if we sacrifice ourselves to get where we want to be, then all we will be left with is an empty title and an empty title will never make us "enough".