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trinsyMy uncle and I hung out all yesterday. We went out to lunch, and shopped for school supplies, and then we went to the beach. We walking on Laguna, and at one point we got over the basketball courts. My uncle was telling me about how he and his friends used to come down to the beach and play basketball when they were in highschool. As we were walking away from the courts I turned to him and asked, “What’s the point of basketball?”
He thought about that for a minute.
“I guess,” he said finally, “winning.”
“But what’s the point of winning?” I wondered. I was really only asking this because I’m reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, and in it he tells a story about this time he was watching this TV interview with Tom Arnold, who was promoting a book he wrote. And when Tom Arnold was asked why he wrote his book he answered, “The I wrote this book is because I wanted something out there so people would tell me they liked me. It’s the reason behind almost everything I do.” And Donald says he thinks, and I agree with him, that that’s basically why anyone does anything: to get people to like them. But I was wondering if my uncle was going to say something to this effect.
My uncle, however, started relating it to mountain climbing, which is something he loves to do. He talked about the rush you got, and the pride you found in the accomplishment. I was just nodding, not asking any more, not questioning why you needed the rush and the pride, but finally he turned to me and said, “It’s like you wanting to direct films. Why do you want to make films?”
I thought about it for a moment. I considered what Tom Arnold said, but I didn’t want to steal his answer, and in a way I think I wanted to make it more complex than it actually is.
“I suppose,” I said slowly, “it’s because I have all these visions in my head, and I want someone to see them and say that they’re valuable.”
My uncle nodded.
“It’s for the same reason,” he said. And I knew that we were finally talking about the same thing: Validation.
He thought about that for a minute.
“I guess,” he said finally, “winning.”
“But what’s the point of winning?” I wondered. I was really only asking this because I’m reading Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller, and in it he tells a story about this time he was watching this TV interview with Tom Arnold, who was promoting a book he wrote. And when Tom Arnold was asked why he wrote his book he answered, “The I wrote this book is because I wanted something out there so people would tell me they liked me. It’s the reason behind almost everything I do.” And Donald says he thinks, and I agree with him, that that’s basically why anyone does anything: to get people to like them. But I was wondering if my uncle was going to say something to this effect.
My uncle, however, started relating it to mountain climbing, which is something he loves to do. He talked about the rush you got, and the pride you found in the accomplishment. I was just nodding, not asking any more, not questioning why you needed the rush and the pride, but finally he turned to me and said, “It’s like you wanting to direct films. Why do you want to make films?”
I thought about it for a moment. I considered what Tom Arnold said, but I didn’t want to steal his answer, and in a way I think I wanted to make it more complex than it actually is.
“I suppose,” I said slowly, “it’s because I have all these visions in my head, and I want someone to see them and say that they’re valuable.”
My uncle nodded.
“It’s for the same reason,” he said. And I knew that we were finally talking about the same thing: Validation.
