The Written Word

        How often have you come across a book, magazine or newspaper article that inspired you to think more deeply? Spark your interest in something previously unexplored? Cause you to reevaluate your view on a subject?
        The written word can be a very powerful thing. In a world before the internet it was the written word that preserved human knowledge for future generations. The written word has inspired revolution and peace. The written word promotes love and hate.
        I have had a few occasions that I can share about titles that inspired me to think more than I previously had about things. To think about society and civilization, my everyday life and my aspirations... even political and religious viewpoints.
        FIVE SKIES by Ron Carlson sparked a serious introspective reevaluation of my life goals and everyday outlook on my blue collar existence. Sometimes fictional characters can be so life-like, so real, that their stories can hit the reader hard. Arthur Key was like the merging of my father and I into a single person, quietly searching for redemption in a world that never cared about the sins we had committed in the first place. Ronnie, for me, was symbolic of the loss of that youthful exuberance that drives a man forward against the machine.

        The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi was a work that I jumped into because of my fascination with feudal Japanese samurai culture. It wasn't long before I made an incredible connection. This title smacked me in the face, making me look at society around me with new vision. I attribute the foundation of my individuality solely to this book. If I had not read the Book of Five Rings I probably would have never finished high school and possibly not be alive today because my new vision resulted in a new approach to the world around me. I firmly  believe that all inner-city 9th grade students should be required to read the Book of Five Rings.

        The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama was instrumental for me when I found myself struggling to adapt to a new environment after I moved out of the city. Usually works of Buddhist philosophy are very esoteric and ambiguous but not this one. I found it practical and engaging. I still keep a copy to this day and return to it every now and then when I find myself too stressed.

        I have to throw out a few honorable mentions to close. Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn is, by far, my favourite work of fantasy fiction. The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks is also a good fantasy fiction work. A very nice collection of speeches, interviews and quotes can be found in In His Own Words, Neslon Mandela. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus shatters the misconception that all Native Americans were nomadic tribal people. I'm a total Trekkie when it comes to books and I'm currently loving Star Trek Titan.

Rule 48

Illegal Check to the Head – A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.

        Wayne Gretzky likes Rule 48. Don Cherry says Rule 48 is unnecessary. For this hockey fan it's a good rule. Rule 48 was instituted by the National Hockey League this year in an attempt to cut down on concussions and other head injuries.
        Unfortunately, the new rule has not stemmed the tide of head injuries haunting this league. The tide is rising. In the last month alone there have been three high profile incidents. One of which has put the NHL's top star, Sidney Crosby, on the shelf. Crosby will miss the NHL All-Star Game in Raleigh on Jan. 30.
        The NHL is not alone. The National Football League has been investigating it's own increase in head related injuries for quite some time now. Both leagues are looking for answers to a problem that didn't exist 20 years ago... or did it?
        In my opinion, the frequency of head injuries in hockey and football is probably not new. What is new is the fact that modern medicine has made it possible to accurately diagnose these injuries. In the 1960's, 70's and 80's players were getting corked just as hard as players are now but what we now recognize as a concussion was written off as "getting your bell rung". I would not be surprised to find out that the number of undiagnosed concussions from previous eras of sport number in the hundreds of thousands.
        I'm not trying to say that this isn't a big deal, because it is a big deal. The NHL and NFL should be taking steps to protect their players but this isn't something that is ever really going to be resolved. These are contact sports and as such will always incur a high risk of injury. It's a risk that every player who laces up a pair of skates (or cleats) assumes when they play these sports.
        Not all head injuries are the result of a foul act. There isn't always a Steve Downie or Tom Kostopoulos there to fine and suspend, although when there is those things should happen. A body in motion generates force (energy) and when two bodies in motion come into contact that force has to go somewhere, absorbed as impact.
        Keep putting together exploratory committees and review boards. Tweak the rules to maximize player safety without stripping away the identity of the game. We fans will keep watching and the critics will keep whining.
        And somewhere in-between all the action I'll be watching Coach's Corner on CBC's Hockey Night In Canada.
        GAME ON

A Single Step

        The saying "Every journey begins with a single step"  is actually "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"  and it was Confucius who actually said it, or rather, wrote it. I'm assuming that distance is arbitrary as it pertains to a blog but I would have no idea because this is my first attempt (to put it generously) at writing a blog. As such, I don't have any thousand mile ideas about this. All I have are the thoughts in my tiny head and this experiment at putting those thoughts out in the world wide web.

        I read somewhere that one person gives (the blogger) and another person receives (the reader) but somehow I think that it more often goes like this- one person rambles and another person gets irritated because they just wasted precious moments of their life taking the time to read another persons ramblings.
         Perhaps I'm a little too cynical after reading so many opinion columns in the Detroit Free Press and the Hockey News. Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions about something the surface of which I've only just begun to scratch. Heaven knows I've spent more than enough time reading idiotic things written by professional writers that I have reason to feel cynical. Most likely, that's exactly the reason why I've started this blog, my experiment. Seems I've come to the conclusion that the conversations happening at the ice rink and in the lunch room at work are far more interesting than anything to be found in a newspaper or magazine. Since that seems to be the case why not conversations on the internet? There are "regular" people on the internet, right? Hell, I like to think of myself as the average schmuck so why not take a chance on there being other schmucks like me out there who wouldn't mind spending a few minutes reading the ramblings of a fellow schmuck?
        I'm not going to organize anything. I'm not going to put myself on a schedule or try and post an opinion about every little thing that sparks a question in my tiny little brain. When I feel inspired to put thought to... well, not paper... but y'know, I'll just do it.
        A single step has been taken (or a few after going through the setup process), we'll see what happens.