Baseball, as uniquely American as the 4th of July, is a national pastime. It is also a metaphor for life.
You’re in the batter’s box. You may be naturally strong, even gifted. Nonetheless, crucial to your well-being and success is a learned and practiced ability to deal with the fastballs, curve balls, knuckle balls and change-ups of the human-made world we live in.
Unlike major-league ballplayers who have mentors, coaches and agents and, perhaps, millions in pay and endorsements, you’re pretty much on your own. Yes, of course, most of the time when you’re at bat, you are not facing an ace pitcher and the World Series is not at stake. Nonetheless, the pressure is on.
So, you’re up, slugger. Your task: to bat in service of how life ought to be, and shall be.
The first time up, not so sure of your skills, you may have to take some swings before you hit a single into left. The next time up, momentarily stalled by the anxiety in your stomach, you may have to take a strike, then another, before you hit a double into right. At your last bat in today’s important game, you take a powerful swing at fear and trembling and hit it out of the park. Nice, three for three. A great day.
Baseball players typically retire before they’re 40 years old, but you’re up to bat your whole life. Tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, you’re in the batter’s box again. You have a lifetime to excel at it—not once and for all—but each and every day you can take your stand.
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Arnold Siegel is the founder of Autonomy and Life and the leader of its Retreat Workshops and Advanced Classes.
(This post is a holiday variation of my 04.15.13 podcast.)