Men aspire. They climb mountains and conquer. And while atop those mountains, they look on beyond and see other mountains that need climbing. Some men, content with what they have will stop. Others, driven by desire will regroup, restart and with the same hard work — albeit with more knowledge — climb those other mountains.
Some men however are cut from a different cloth.
These men climb mountains we cannot see. They climb mountains that do not seem to appear. Better still, they make their own mountains.
It is in sport where these men mostly appear. Within that ambit that so pleases the masses and sets alight social gatherings, these men shine brightest. They do not merely aspire. They get to the top and continue.
They go by various names. Pele. Diego Maradona. Michael Schumacher. Micheal Jordan. Whatever the name may be, they are a world apart from their contemporaries. Their achievements bring fame to not only them, but the game as well. They cause their teams to levitate to the threshold of greatness. They cause others to gravitate towards them just so as to enjoy their majestic presence.
They are men of a different kind. Of a different generation. But even now, in this generation, such men exist.
It could be how Lionel Messi wiggles his way in between opponents or how he glides across the pitch. Maybe, Micheal Phelps’s swaying arms and kicking feet. Sebastian Loeb’s perfect control behind the wheel. Sebastian Vettel’s daring racing. Or even, Usain Bolt’s sheer lightning speed.
They are there, and they are many. As we aspire to become better, they prove to us that human beings can become the best. They are that slight hope, that never-ending dream of the pursuit of perfection. To be a master, one must be able to see another master excelling in his field. These masters keep the hope alive.
Yet, no matter how high a pedestal we set them on, they occasionally remind us that they are just human. We may refer to them as super-human, but that is only within the constraints of humanity and not of any higher power.
Be it Tiger Woods cheating, Lance Armstrong doping or even Oscar Pistorius shooting. They serve reminders that above all, they are still struck by the same rays of sun that strike us all. The only difference is that the sun’s rays strike them while they earn achievements far different from ours.
And isn’t that just why we praise them such? Human beings, by infinite nature are worshipping beings. Flocking churches, mosques and temples in the name of worship of a superior being. Even the atheist may claim the non-existence of a Deity, but he would not be able to retain that belief if he did not worship and live it. It is thus why in our endless search for beings to worship, we stumble upon these super human beings.
Yet, by falling, these men remind us that they are merely human. That they also possess humanly faults. In doing so, they also remind us how difficult it is to stay at the top. The highest mountains have the highest peaks and it is on top of those peaks that the sharpest tips exist. That greatly increases the chances of falling.
But all the same, by constantly aspiring to stay at the top, they re-ignite that burning fire inside us. That potential pleasure of success that gives greatest joy. These men break barriers, while simultaneously setting them. They show us that no barrier is impossible to set, no bar high enough to not be achieved.
Men aspire. These men on the other hand, inspire.