There are certain fights that are burned into my mind. They are fights that demonstrate an unquestionable
truth about humanity. When Georges St Pierre fought BJ Penn (the first time) I saw two technical warriors, bringing
out each other’s best. When Scott Smith and Pete Sell stepped into the cage, it
was a display of heart and determination. In that fight a man defied his physical state to throw one last punch for the finish. I am currently haunted by a fight
that is only a few weeks old, Tarec Saffiedine vs Hyun Gyu Lim.
If you didn’t see it, here's what I saw. Saffiedine systematically shut down Lim’s offense with wicked
leg kicks. It was a beautifully executed
strategy. What I find so gripping is
that Lim was content in the situation until it was too late. He fought back in the 4th round,
showing he had the tools to win, but his leg was unable to sustain the
damage. He knew he was getting beat, and
rather than taking a risk to upset Seffiedine’s structure, he chose to survive
the fight.
It reminds me of the story of the Whaleship Essex. The crew found themselves in three
whaleboats, with very limited supplies, watching their ship sink. It was 1820, so their choices were limited. They could travel to a nearby island that was
rumored to be inhabited by cannibals, or they could head to a destination that
was known to be safe. This trip would take longer than their rations
would last, but their fear of cannibalism caused them to choose it anyway. A few near dead survivors were found two
months later by a passing ship, they were never going to make it. It is in human nature to prefer a slow march
to death (or defeat) than to take a risk that might turn out badly.
We settle for lonely relationships because the crumbs of
affection we get are better than being alone.
We continue to work unsatisfying jobs that keep us in debt, because we
don’t know what else we can do. We allow
our governments to slowly take our freedom in the name of security, because it’s
not that bad…yet. I’m not necessarily saying
go quit your job or leave your partner or start a revolution. I’m saying we need the wisdom to recognize when
we are being systematically defeated, and the courage to make whatever change
we can. We need to find intelligent, strategic
ways to upset the structure of whatever is defeating us. Take a risk, create a little chaos, and be
prepared to take advantage of it. We're all gonna die anyway, why not go down swinging?
I want to leave you with one more fight. Anderson Silva vs Ryo Chonan. Fights like this make my spirit sing and show
that one calculated risk can change everything.
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