Chew on These!
Twice in the history of these Memos, I devoted this space to the topic of truths that intrude on us generally. The last time was 10 years ago. Hard to believe! My goal in such an exercise is to lay bare the linkage between life in general and life in this thing called officiating. A terse, astute statement of such a truth is known as an aphorism. An aphorism has a unique ability to deliver a powerful message in just a few words. I have pulled a few together for your consideration. These are some of my favorites, ones that keep coming to my mind as I navigate through this dynamic and challenging world known as sports officiating.
Food for thought!
Worry is interest paid on trouble before it comes due.
– William Inge (U.K., 1954)
All of us can benefit from civil engagement with those with whom we disagree.
– Allison Stanger (Middlebury College, 2017)
We tend to project our own preferences and our own beliefs on other people in a way that’s incredibly stubborn.
– Chris Blattmen (University of Chicago, 2001)
I’ve never been more loved and appreciated than when I tried to justify and affirm someone’s mistaken beliefs.
– Ralph Ellison (Author, USA, 1994)
Esteem is worth more than celebrity, respect is worth more than renown, and honor is worth more than fame.
– Sebastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort (France, 1794)
Objectivity and courage increase in direct proportion to the square of the distance.
– Gabriel Laub (Poland, 1998)
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
– Thomas Alva Edison (USA, 1931)
The person who is always climbing sees less and less of more and more.
– Frans Hiddema (The Netherlands, 1997)
If the unbearable were not weightless we might buckle under the grief of what hasn’t changed yet.
– Jane Hirshfield, (USA, Poetry Foundation, 2000)
No one holds up a red card to an ocean.
– Kurt Tucholsky (Germany, 1935)
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus.
– Martin Luther King Jr. (USA, 1968)
Nothing fosters trust more than long acquaintance.
– David Schneider (Amherst College, 2023)
Resentment is like taking poison and hoping the other person dies.
– Tim Lang (WTC survivor: 2/26/93 and 9/11/01)
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge.
– Daniel Boorstin (USA, 2004)
Referee Magazine Publisher, Barry Mano’s latest Publisher’s Memo. Found in the June, 2023 issue of Referee magazine. For more information or to subscribe to Referee magazine, visit www.referee.com.
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