Comeback of a true champion

“Any man can win when things go his way, it's the man who overcomes adversity that is the true champion.”

Time after time there have been champions from a motley group who have proved this true. But this time, it was special. Federer is an ethereal “human” as hailed by the media and the fans. His reign was the longest in tennis history, which smashed probably half the open era records. He has been an achiever with so much in his repertoire, so much so that what qualifies to be an year of achievement for others is considered as a hapless year for him.

Only a few men who have been noted during their early years for talent have made it to the big stage in their career to become as successful as Federer in Tennis. After being the junior champion in 1998, he came into the spotlight of men’s tennis by defeating Sampras in 2001 Wimbledon. From then on he slowly and consistently moved up to the top position which he deserved. His was not a coronation, unlike the one that Nadal had. It was more of winning a race competing against all others, for at that time there were no kings- all being jacks with ephemeral sinecure. Federer was the one who brought in value and respect to the top position. From a talented short-tempered new kid-on-the-block to the world number one, he has transcended himself beyond the imagination of many. And he has proved his caliber by dominating 4 consecutive years and maintaining himself as an untouchable for most of this time. Such was his level of the game that it took more than 4 years for others to come up to challenge it. Such was the beauty of his game that tennis has many more fans and much more coverage than it used to have a few years back. Such was his poise that people used to admire his candidness rather than abhorring his comments for being arrogance. Probably, no other world number one in any field would have enjoyed so much respect from fellow players and admiration from media.

Very few players in history, if any, would have had such a huge fan following for a game which is not considered as a national game in any country. But this is a man who is what he is and deserves everything he has got and a lot more. But when the year started badly, there were murmurs, and when it continued, it became huge outcries. Hollers enouncing that his time is over and crown prince Nadal is ready for his coronation replacing him. The same media which used to adulate him for his elegance of play and dominance started decrying him for his “human”ness. There have been questions about his confidence level, and “suggestions” from desperate fans which were literally derogatory as far as he is concerned. Imagine the plight of a person hailed as an all-time great receiving instructions from viewers. But he remained calm and aplomb continuing his work. True, his game was not in the celestial heights it used to be couple of years back. But champions are not the ones who win every game when they are playing in peak. They are the ones who find ways to win even when they are playing badly, and self-belief is the last thing they lose. After all, champions are those who don’t quit, and who believe that they can always come back, and who prove it by doing it. And by winning the 2008 US Open, Federer has established himself as a true champion, a role model for the coming generations to emulate, and an inspiration for all.

My philosophies on life - How to make things better?

Ever been in a situation when you thought nothing is going your way?
Ever felt that the whole world is conspiring against you?
Ever been pulled low by the incidents happening to you and around you?

Essentially all the above questions are fundamentally same; and the situation in which you are in can be basically categorized as bad luck. Now, I would say that this can happen to any human being at any point of time. There was a time that my mother would say that you should pray and have faith in god, that he will set everything straight. For those who have staunch belief in god this may sound relieving. But, since I am closest to an agnostic and since such kind of people are not uncommon, the above “words of relief” does not offer any consolation to many.
First I would tell why those words does not offer any solace to me. Well, I have been reading a lot of Ayn Rand in the past 4 years. So much so that I came up with my own philosophy, which is apparently similar to hers. According to me, it’s up to each one of us to choose our own destiny. If you observe nature, there is a definite duty for every being on Earth. This duty is critically linked to its survival, and fulfilling this duty is the fairest thing one has to do. For example, for its survival a carnivore has to prey on another animal. I know I might invoke criticism if I compare humans to animals; anyway my intention was to give an example. So those who did not like it can probably get things clarified when I write my next article. For the time being, I would just say that nature considers all beings as equal and ideally I would also want to do the same.
Without wasting any more of anybody’s time I would get back to the topic at hand. I have seen a few adolescents and teenagers asking questions like “Why do they say that God will set things right?”, “Why not us?” I would say you people are thinking in the right direction. If it is something that concerns us, we have the highest responsibility to set it right. To people who come up with questions like “What would you do in a situation which is not in your control?” I would say no situation is generated as out of control. It gets out of control because you were not responsible enough at the right time, at a time when it was in your control. Once it gets out of your control, you just need to have faith in yourself and be ready to take things as they come.
For those who are caught up in a world between the agnostic and the believer, let me tell you one thing- it is alright if you do not believe in God, but it is never okay if you do not believe in yourself.
So I would say the most necessary thing that you need to come out of the abysmal situation is to have faith in yourself. You should have the confidence to make decisions, and to justify it. You should have the guts to stay responsible for your actions and its consequences. I don’t believe in classifying actions as right or wrong- it depends on perspective, and it might even change with time. Important thing is “hold-on”, be persistent till you reach your goal. You never know how close you were to success if you quit before you reach there. So go for it, be there.


Epilogue:
For those who want more motivation, I am giving a link to the Wikisource of the poem "If"

PS: This being my first blog, I am expecting a lot of comments and criticisms.