The sad story of Steve Sarkisian

So, let me see if I have this right…

According to numerous sources, Steve Sarkisian is suing USC for wrongful termination because they “kicked him to the curb” and “wrongfully terminated him”, all “without accommodating his efforts to seek treatment for his disability”?

Interesting… Did I miss the point where Sark went into Pat Hayden’s office and admitted that he wanted help? Guess I wasn’t the only one, as it seems that even Hayden and the rest of the USC administration was a bit perplexed when Sark revealed that he “was on a plane to seek treatment” when he received news he was being let go.

Now that is convenient…  I mean, what great timing. Headed towards rehab at the exact moment your employer chooses to let you go for what can only be termed persistent infringement. Interesting that THIS happened to be the first time he finally chose to go.

Something feels amiss though. I mean, wouldn’t it cross your mind to at least relay to your employer that you planned to be gone for a few days, especially with the small matter of a game against Notre Dame looming? Or am I mistaken? Did they recently create overnight rehab programs?

What this whole thing strikes me as is the last ditch effort of a man forced to view what was once a bright future as it fades. The curiosity I have in all of this is wondering at what point we as a society start holding people accountable for THEIR actions?

As a grown man, Sarkisian should be able to see that he alone created this situation. Even for those that argue alcoholism is a sickness, you cannot deny that the definition of being a grown up is being able to recognize when our own personal beliefs counter every other piece of information given to us that it is time to make a change. Or am I simply romanticizing how things used to be?

I have some advice for Sarkisian: Man up. Start to take control over your mistakes by admitting that you alone are at fault. Only through this first step will you begin to take back your life.

Don’t just do it for your overall health and well being, do it for your future. Do you really think any FBS program is going to take a chance on a guy so willing to pass the blame? Not exactly the life lesson that makes it into any university’s motto.

When did we become so broken?

This question of the brokenness of humanity is one I often find myself contemplating. It is, in fact, the one existential question that continually creeps back into my consciousness. I guess I believe that if I can find the answer I can help fix man.

Egotistical? Sure. Impossible? Probably. It is, after all, an existential question and there is always at least a touch of subjectivity in anything philosophical.

The truth though is that humanity's brokenness is not a new concept, at least not if history is any indication. From violent acts in the name of God, to rampant greed in the name of progress; humanity has an abundance of examples of what it means to be selfish. Who knows though, maybe we have only been convinced of this. Fear is the greatest motivator (and the easiest way to control the masses). But that is another question entirely...

As I ponder the question of our brokenness, I have to remind myself that the answers are rarely if ever absolute. Subjectivity is always going to lead to heated conversations. With this in mind, take my writings as simply my opinion.

As I contemplate what caused society to become broken, one quote always sticks out: "I'm sorry, there is no race today; we don't have enough blue ribbons for everyone." It seems that in our desire to ensure that no one's feelings are hurt, we have lost sight of the fact that the greatest growth comes from failure, not success. Instead of holding people accountable for their actions our current society has been trained to either tell people that they are special and great or ignore their aberrant behavior.

Any idea what this breeds? Sociopaths.

Think about it, if you took a test and failed or tried out for a team and were cut and simply had to raise your voice to be given another shot (or worse, a better grade or spot), at what point would you begin to believe that this was normal? If you were the head of a major corporation that fleeced millions of people out of their homes and livelihood and, when caught, were rewarded with a bailout instead of jail, would you ever change?

Have you ever noticed how sensitive people are these days? When was the last time you truly told someone how you felt, especially when that opinion differed from what you know they WANT to hear?

I get it. No one wants to be the bad guy. No one wants to overstep their boundaries and lose a friend, or worse, their job. In wonder though, isn't a teachers job to let a child know whether or not they are prepared for the future? Is it not all of our jobs to let the corrupt CEO know that their behavior is in fact criminal?

I blame much of this on the baby boomer generation. Or, more specifically, on their reaction to the world they grew up in and the eventual lessons passed along to their children. Again, I get it. Every generation dreams of being better than the one before them. Unfortunately, like a rebellious teenager, the response is a often complete overhaul rather than some simple changes.

You see, while none of the boomers directly felt the effects of the Great Depression, we can be sure that many of their bedtime stories involved squirrels fighting over and stocking away nuts for a cold, hard winter. Almost explains why most of them passed to their children the belief that no amount of money is enough. Couple this with the fact that the formative years of boomers and their children followed the greatest growth in the world's economy and it is not difficult to understand why the massive gulf in wealth distribution began.

What bothers me the most about all of this is the lack of culpability. Back to that concept of an always broken society...

Let me explain. If you were to ask any boomer what is wrong with the kids of today, what do you expect the answer to be? Almost always it is that today's kids are the most entitled generation ever. While tough to argue against, I am left to wonder why these same people neglect to see the root of this problem.

You see, while boomers love to rail against the 26 year old who lives in his parent's basement, what they conveniently overlook is the fact that they caused this epidemic.

Instead of graduating from college with a bachelor's degree and no debt, hounded by three companies to come work for them; kids today graduate with $30k in debt for a piece of paper worth next to nothing and no viable job offers. Why? Because not only have they been convinced they have to obtain a college degree to get ahead, so have all of their friends.

What makes this problem worse is that baby boomers are not only not retiring when they can afford to (thus opening up jobs), but they also believe that they deserve massive salaries (in many cases 40+ times more than the average employee for upper management) which take away from the companies ability to hire new blood. Weird that baby boomers love to rail how the generations below them are unwilling to work when the reality is that anyone not in upper management is doing the work of at least two people. Hey, got to maximize the company's profit, right?

So, in addition to debt and limited chance at employment (or at least gainful employment in their field) kids today have to take whatever job they can find (heck, those loans aren't going to repay themselves). Save for that house? Ummm... Nope, can't afford it.  Why not? Simple. Turns out, buying houses and turning them into rental properties is very lucrative. Great for those that can afford the overvalued homes, not so much for that 26 year old with two degrees working at McDonalds so he can pay the $800/mo in loans.

We may be broken, but I believe that we can be fixed. It'll take tough conversations; society has to start speaking up and holding people accountable. Above all, we must all embrace that failure is not the end of the world; not unless we individually make it out to be.

Failure teaches us our greatest lessons. Not only can it show us our weaknesses, it gives us an opportunity to learn how strong we are. Are you willing to correct your own mistakes? Are you afraid to let people criticize you? Do you expect that life is supposed to be easy and fun? Are you willing to accept responsibility for yourself and your actions?

Not only is your response to failure the greatest indicator of who you are, it is also the greatest indicator of who your children will become.

A "spiritual testimony" letter attached to applications to coach at Christian schools

To begin with, I want to preface this statement with the acknowledgement that I do not consider myself a Christian, at least not in the typified sense of the word. Being raised as a Roman Catholic, I fully believe that the teachings of Christianity serve as a perfect substratum for what it means to be a good human. When I say that I am not a Christian, I simply mean to relay that I do not believe that Christ is the only example of what it means to be a good person. Through my life’s wanderings and interactions with people of other faiths, I have come to realize that every religion shares one basic tenet: treat others and yourself well.

Throughout my life I have always considered myself a very spiritual person. In fact, if someone were to ask me what my dream job would be, the role of pastor immediately springs to mind. The only reason I have not pursued this path is my lack of belief that any one religion is the “true” religion. Thankfully, my passion for preaching the greater good is not lost as I have found that, through teaching and coaching, I can still help others grow in their understanding of self and the world around them. As it turns out, helping others find and follow their moral compass gives me my greatest joy.

So, all of this begs the question as to whether I think that I could coach at a school where Christ is a focus? The answer is absolutely. In fact, this would actually make the job easier as I would imagine that the student/athletes who choose to attend Whitworth do so out of a passion to follow one of the world’s greatest examples of what a life of servitude looks like. This means that they understand what it means to give of self, to sacrifice for the greater good and to always be aware of how they are impacting those around them.

This shared belief and passion further simplifies my role of coach by providing an immediate example of how any situation (good and/or bad) can be handled. Couple this with the fact that most of the student/athletes who choose to attend Whitworth do so out of belief that your University's education will enable them to best live a good life, and I foresee ease in creating a group of driven, compassionate followers. 

This is my greatest hope: that I will always have the opportunity to help others find their passion, spread their love, and grow in their understanding of what being a good person means.

“[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity