Mano a Mano

Aristotle, a student of a wrestler named Plato, taught that eudaimonia, usually translated as “happiness” or “the good life,” requires both intellectual and moral virtues. With regard to the latter, courage, the moral muscle to confront and overcome our fears, is essential. Failures of courage assume a variety of forms. Many who are rich in talents are stymied by the terror of trying and failing. In boxing, there are gifted fighters who land their dream bout only to sabotage their training, thereby keeping their ego-guard up by telling others and themselves, “I lost because I couldn’t prepare properly.” Boxers, of course, don’t own self-sabotage. I have friends with exceptional wordsmithing ability who long to be published, but the horror of rejection banishes their work to the desk drawer.