https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89030535
Once every baseball season, every player in Major League
Baseball wears the number 42 to honor Jackie Robinson. He is the first African American
to play baseball in an integrated baseball league. He is also the first African
American to play in an integrated league in any sport, leading to a breakthrough
in a segregated society that desperately needed to change. In his This I Believe
essay, Jackie talks about his will and drive to never give up on what he believed
in to get him where he was. I think that this outlook on life is something that
can be taken into any situation and used to help in a positive manner.
The 6x All Star, 8x MVP Brooklyn Dodger was on the biggest
of stages at the time and had heavy influences on African Americans in
professional sports. He begins his essay speaking of the 1947 World Series
during the National Anthem. He says that he feels the Anthem is being played
for him. A year later he speaks of others playing alongside him. A game helps
bring two different races that had differences together. He says, “What I have
always believed has come true.” You hear that a lot when famous or successful
people speak about there accomplishments. Do you think that they really were
successful because they had a belief and never gave up on it? Or did they get
lucky at the right times to help their successes but it’s easier to say that
they worked hard and believed in something to come true? Even so, it gives
something for everyone to strive for. They think, because this person did this,
I can do this.
Robinson specifically speaks about successes and how every
person on Earth cannot succeed because that would mean that humans are perfect.
He states that the imperfections of humans are what allow progress. Even though
we cannot all succeed, we all have the ability to put the past in the past,
focus on today, and look forward to the future. This is an outlook that I
personally live. I have a strong awareness that the dogmas that are behind me
are indeed behind me and I can only move forward and continue to live the best
life that I can. He speaks of fighting for what he believes which is what his
key motivation in life is. Human imperfections provide us with a reason to
fight. They are what drive us as humans. Being a big baseball fan(and sports
fan at that), I will always have the ultimate respect for Jackie Robinson and
what he was able to do for the world. I chose his This I Believe essay because
I believe his views very much parallel mine even though they are in a different
sense and for different reasons. I had never read this essay before this class and
with being said, I’m glad that it was suggested at the beginning of the year.
The theme of this writing is to fight. Fight against imperfections and continue
to move forward.
Quiz Questions:
1.
In what big event did Jackie Robinson begin his
essay speaking about?
2.
Does Jackie Robinson believe that humans have
the ability to be perfect?
3.
What team did Jackie Robinson play for?
4.
How many times was Jackie Robinson an All Star?
Discussion Questions:
1.
Do you think that successful people really were
successful because they had a belief and never gave up on it or were they just in the right place at the right time doing the right things?
2.
Do you believe that dogmas of our past can be
put behind us or do they have the ability to affect our futures in some way or
another?
Comments
http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/04/evolution-of-motley-crue-final-draft.html#comment-form
http://cophilosophy.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-philosophy-behind-show-veggietales.html#comment-form
I dig the "fighting" theme of this blog post. I do think that is an important aspect for Jackie Robinson, but on a more subliminal note, I believe he helped push that "magical thinking" belief more than he realized. I'm sure countless youth of Robinson's time wished to be as good an athlete as him and believed that if they wished it hard enough that it would come true. Overall dig your post and hope you check out mine (not an author so here's the link)-->>>https://philosophyofdragonball.blogspot.com/2019/04/subliminal-philosophy-of-dragon-ball.html
ReplyDeleteIt's not magical thinking, to think you can go beyond others' expectations in pursuing your dreams. It may in fact be the only kind of thinking that every really gets anyone anywhere.
DeleteAlso, Jake: why aren't you an author? Email me, I'll send you an invitation.
DeleteThat's “fight” in the sense of persevering, against all obstacles, which in his case were legion. Branch Rickey insisted, before signing him to a Dodgers contract, on his agreement NOT to fight his tormentors with violence. He was an incredibly strong and courageous man, and a true inspiration. I suggest every American should watch Ken Burns' documentary on him-
ReplyDeletehttps://www.amazon.com/Part-I/dp/B01DSW7JH8/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=jackie+robinson&qid=1556227914&s=instant-video&sr=1-3
and read Jonathan Eig's bio "Opening Day"-https://www.amazon.com/Opening-Day-Jackie-Robinsons-Season-ebook/dp/B000OVLIKG/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=jonathan+eig&qid=1556227845&s=books&sr=1-5
I think Robinson properly understood that so much of our being is socially facilitated, especially when he said that the people after him would have to fight less because of what he endured. The struggles of individuals to make the world better will never alleviate suffering altogether, which Robinson notes, but maybe we can make the world a little easier for those after us. I think that's the responsibility of every person, and I respect his ability to recognize and embody that spirit.
ReplyDelete