May The Best Man Win
How large a "mass" do you need for "mass hysteria" to work?
This morning, almost against my will (which was to go to the lab), I got drawn into the semifinals of the Twenty20 tournament, India Vs. Australia. The spectators were S, her friend K, and myself. And through the medium of voice, Di. Three other humans apart from me. Let's say that's about thrice as much mass as mine.
Now, first, I'm not a sports enthusiast at all. The last few posts may have given a different impression, but really, I'm not. Second, I barely know cricket, and being Indian, that's a huge black mark against my name. Third, and what's most exasperating for people around me, I tend to have this philosophical attitude towards competitive sports. So in, say, a nail-biting Indo-Pak match when people around me are busy, well, chewing on their nails and hair and - and going nuts, I've been known to comment (they think, flippantly), that 'may the best man win'. Hell, I do that in my own life, so why it cannot be the motto for a damned game that doesn't affect my life is beyond me, but let's not discuss that right now. Anyway, for these three reasons and more, I'm not the best company during any sort of competitive match. Especially for people who have the 'Do or Die' attitude towards the side they're supporting.
Anyway, so I start to watch the match and I'm going "May the best man win" (in my head), every time K or S groan or cheer. For me, I need the benefit of action replay to follow the match. Not because I don't understand the game but because the pace is exhausting, and something I am unused to. Thank the heavens for omniculars, eh? Pretty soon, I start to keep up with the pace, and suddenly the match turns exciting. For those who watched it, we all know that pretty much till the final over, we were unsure of which way things would swing. So, now, to my astonishment, I find myself cheering and groaning along with the rest of the audience. Which is a Huge Thing. For me.
After the match, these two talk excitedly about the big Indo-Pak finale, while I call Di to say hello. She's screaming on the phone and going "I'm going to bunk work on Monday - it's INDO-PAK!!!" and pretty soon I hear a weird, terribly excited version of my own voice, screaming, "I have to figure out a way to do that too! IT IS INDO-PAK!!!!", etc. And then, very sensibly, she brings up the "May the best man win" point, and I scream back saying, "But it's INDO-PAK. Of Course, I support India. Best Man?? Crap!!" and stuff like that.
The euphoria lasted till I got home. Then, the effect of the very very academic environment of my room took over, and I started to wonder what that was. Mass hysteria? What mass? What happened there for three hours? Who was that other human sitting inside of me and losing her mind over, of all things, Competitive Sports? A Mere GAME? Who's was that soul that chucked the very deeply ingrained "May the best man win" and started to support - what? Favoritism? Luck? Mediocrity? The spur of the moment? Well, to give them credit, the Indian cricket team is doing well in this tournament, I hear. But this isn't about the team any more. It's about me.
As a child, I remember walking every report day to class with my mother. Four times a year. Back then, they used to put the names of the first, second and third rankers in the class on the blackboard, so all the students and parents had that information on which to base the child's performance, if they wanted to. My mom never worried about it much, she knew what to expect. I worried about it, walking silently beside her towards my class, but I never once remember thinking "I hope it's me again this time." No. I said, well, may the best man win. Luckily, I managed to hit the 'best man' jackpot nearly every time. I've never felt the satisfaction of flying above the rest, for me it was about myself, and how I could better my record. Luckily, my dictum paid off when things got bad sometime in the middle - I could always say, it's fine, you CAN take a back seat sometimes - some other people are as good or better than you are, so it's okay. I guess it's this attitude that has helped me to focus on my goals even when the going was tough - and after a while, it was this attitude that allowed me to bounce back to take the accustomed seat again.
I love my country, but I admire excellence even more. I wish Team India all the very best for the upcoming finals, and I hope they do as well as they ought. But, at the end of the day, May The Best Man Win.
And no, I cannot make the match on Monday, I have way too much to do.
This morning, almost against my will (which was to go to the lab), I got drawn into the semifinals of the Twenty20 tournament, India Vs. Australia. The spectators were S, her friend K, and myself. And through the medium of voice, Di. Three other humans apart from me. Let's say that's about thrice as much mass as mine.
Now, first, I'm not a sports enthusiast at all. The last few posts may have given a different impression, but really, I'm not. Second, I barely know cricket, and being Indian, that's a huge black mark against my name. Third, and what's most exasperating for people around me, I tend to have this philosophical attitude towards competitive sports. So in, say, a nail-biting Indo-Pak match when people around me are busy, well, chewing on their nails and hair and - and going nuts, I've been known to comment (they think, flippantly), that 'may the best man win'. Hell, I do that in my own life, so why it cannot be the motto for a damned game that doesn't affect my life is beyond me, but let's not discuss that right now. Anyway, for these three reasons and more, I'm not the best company during any sort of competitive match. Especially for people who have the 'Do or Die' attitude towards the side they're supporting.
Anyway, so I start to watch the match and I'm going "May the best man win" (in my head), every time K or S groan or cheer. For me, I need the benefit of action replay to follow the match. Not because I don't understand the game but because the pace is exhausting, and something I am unused to. Thank the heavens for omniculars, eh? Pretty soon, I start to keep up with the pace, and suddenly the match turns exciting. For those who watched it, we all know that pretty much till the final over, we were unsure of which way things would swing. So, now, to my astonishment, I find myself cheering and groaning along with the rest of the audience. Which is a Huge Thing. For me.
After the match, these two talk excitedly about the big Indo-Pak finale, while I call Di to say hello. She's screaming on the phone and going "I'm going to bunk work on Monday - it's INDO-PAK!!!" and pretty soon I hear a weird, terribly excited version of my own voice, screaming, "I have to figure out a way to do that too! IT IS INDO-PAK!!!!", etc. And then, very sensibly, she brings up the "May the best man win" point, and I scream back saying, "But it's INDO-PAK. Of Course, I support India. Best Man?? Crap!!" and stuff like that.
The euphoria lasted till I got home. Then, the effect of the very very academic environment of my room took over, and I started to wonder what that was. Mass hysteria? What mass? What happened there for three hours? Who was that other human sitting inside of me and losing her mind over, of all things, Competitive Sports? A Mere GAME? Who's was that soul that chucked the very deeply ingrained "May the best man win" and started to support - what? Favoritism? Luck? Mediocrity? The spur of the moment? Well, to give them credit, the Indian cricket team is doing well in this tournament, I hear. But this isn't about the team any more. It's about me.
As a child, I remember walking every report day to class with my mother. Four times a year. Back then, they used to put the names of the first, second and third rankers in the class on the blackboard, so all the students and parents had that information on which to base the child's performance, if they wanted to. My mom never worried about it much, she knew what to expect. I worried about it, walking silently beside her towards my class, but I never once remember thinking "I hope it's me again this time." No. I said, well, may the best man win. Luckily, I managed to hit the 'best man' jackpot nearly every time. I've never felt the satisfaction of flying above the rest, for me it was about myself, and how I could better my record. Luckily, my dictum paid off when things got bad sometime in the middle - I could always say, it's fine, you CAN take a back seat sometimes - some other people are as good or better than you are, so it's okay. I guess it's this attitude that has helped me to focus on my goals even when the going was tough - and after a while, it was this attitude that allowed me to bounce back to take the accustomed seat again.
I love my country, but I admire excellence even more. I wish Team India all the very best for the upcoming finals, and I hope they do as well as they ought. But, at the end of the day, May The Best Man Win.
And no, I cannot make the match on Monday, I have way too much to do.
posted by Summer Showers at
4:06 PM
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