So we have a team who was 18-0 entering their last game. The best team of all time just waiting to add another ring to their collection. Thirteen point favorites who would mop the floor with anyone from the substandard NFC. Well we all now know the outcome of the Super Bowl and it makes you wonder how predictions fit into our society.
The first question is why are we so eager to know the outcome of things? What do we gain from foresight or wish to gain anyway? There are so many instances in pop culture about knowing what is to come. Remember Back to the Future II when Marty finds the Sports Almanac and is sure to make millions betting on sports? Well this makes sense that people would love to know what will happen for betting purposes. I really think it is in our nature to want something for nothing. This isn’t unexpected. Let’s go deeper though.
If you could know when, where and how you would die would you want to know? Most of us live our lives on eggshells anyway. Knowing this information would only make us more cautious in how we approach things. We stress so much about our job or our relationship that we are unable to appreciate it while we have it. We seem to be looking for perfection in everything that we don’t look upon those wrinkles of imperfection as the interesting moments in our lives. Pat Green sings the lyrics, “Don’t you think that life would be awful boring, if the good times were all that we had?” This really speaks to me. How do we know what good really is if we don’t experience bad? What is a good job? What is a good relationship? Why do we want to predict the outcome of things before they happen. I am so guilty of this. Where is my job leading me? Where is this relationship going to end up? Instead we should embrace the little moments and learn from them. Maybe a job is there to give you experiences that will make you better. Could it be that you are with someone so they can teach you something about yourself or how you treat others?
There are no guarantees in life. We are promised nothing and deserve nothing. We must earn everything we get. And we must also earn everything we already have. We should earn it everyday. If we have a job, go in and re-earn it everyday. If we have a relationship it should be treated like the first day we met that person. As we reflect on predictions and prognostications like the one for the Super Bowl we should embrace the moment. Embrace what we have already obtained, what we have already accomplished and relish it. In one of my favorite songs, The Dance by Garth Brooks he says, “I could have missed the pain but I’d have had to miss the dance.” Let us not miss the dance for fear of the pain. Don’t live for what is in the distance. If there is one thing we can predict with certainty, it is that life is unpredictable. — Middy
