Purpose

Sports. If you stop and think about it, they’re really pointless. They don’t actually offer anything tangible in the world. But then, neither does music, or theater or anything else that’s listed as entertainment. But really, it’s whole purpose is not to entertain. The guy quietly singing to himself in a cubicle may be annoying you, but you also can tell his mood by the songs he’s singing. Someone singing the Smurf theme song is in a lot better mood than the guy singing about how he hates the world.

In that respect, sports can offer a diversion away from the realities of life. That mental break is necessary sometimes. This became even more clear when I read about a golf course in Baghdad. The summary is that there is a golf course in Baghdad for the military to use. It’s in the middle of fighting, and there are bomb blasts and helicopters flying over, and every once in a while you have to take cover. The war is never far away.

What would possess people to take up space in a desert to put up a golf course (although severely lacking in grass)? To get away. They’re never far away–the evidence is always there. It’s not a safe place–there are none there. But sometimes you have to get as far away as you can, even when you can’t leave. These people there might not actually leave the war zone, but for a brief time, they’re thrilled that their only decision is how they’re going to hit this little white sphere. They’re taking their mind off the pressures placed on them by being in the middle of a stressful situation. It’s not about the exercise; they get that through their work. It’s about relaxing the mind.

That’s why entertainment exists–we give our minds changes of pace to rest, and get read for whatever usually occupies our mind, whether it’s predicting the weather or programming a computer. Even people who love their jobs find they can’t do it 16 hours per day, 7 days per week. A programmer might race cars on weekends. An accountant might go to the opera. And a soldier might go play golf.

A period of mourning has begun, as Scott Baker has been officially placed on the DL. Sigh.