John Wooden, Wizard of Westwood, Dies at 99

In my four years at UCLA, I never got the opportunity to meet John Wooden in person. But, Coach Wooden was arguably the most revered basketball coach in sports history, the one of the most notable public figure at UCLA, and an inspirational role model whose grace and genuineness is hard to come by. The closest I got to Coach Wooden was at the Wooden Center, UCLA's on-campus gym and John Wooden's namesake. The walls were plastered with his quotes on success and on failure, which I would glance at periodically during strenuous bouts on the elliptical.

The second time I feel like I "encountered" Coach Wooden was during my very few months of training at my first full-time job. My co-workers and I were brainstorming quotes to encourage unemployed participants on welfare who were going through our employment and training program. Immediately, I thought about Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose quotes led me throughout high school. John Wooden came to mind at a close second. The quote we ended up using was: "Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." To me, it was a fitting quote to motivate and inspire displaced job seekers who, on a daily basis, had to go out to an unfriendly economy and go home to needy children.

Yesterday, news broke that Coach Wooden was "gravely ill." Today, it is confirmed that Coach Wooden has passed away at 99. Reading his obituary on The New York Times online reminds me of the movie Serendipity. There's a line in which the character Dean says, "You know the Greeks didn't write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: "Did he have passion?" Did Coach Wooden have passion? The answer is a resounding yes. Just take one look at this Youtube video to be convinced. Wooden's life was all about loyalties; for the majority of his life he lived in 1 city, coached for 1 school, and was married to 1 wife who was also his first love. One thing that stuck out to me most in his obituary was the message from his father that he always carried with him on a piece of paper. It read: “Be true to yourself. Make each day a masterpiece. Help others. Drink deeply from good books. Make friendship a fine art. Build a shelter against a rainy day.”

I could go on and on about Wooden's pithy maxims, his pyramid of success, his quotes pertaining to life:

"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail."
"Flexibility is the key to stability." 
"Be quick, but don't hurry."
"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."
"Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
"It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen."
"Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters."
"Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

But the point is, his outlook on life was reflected in the way he coached his students, the books he penned, the topics he spoke in public, and most importantly, in the way he lived his life. It's something so simple, yet so difficult to come by. I only hope to be a fraction of what this man was in his lifetime, and I hope to see more of his kind in the world today.

Nugget of Wisdom

So I'll admit, I rarely ever read, but I did come across this quote while reading a book (that, mind you, I never finished but actually found quite interesting):

"I can write this story for you, if you're willing to give me the pen..."

I don't know if I can say this for everyone, but too many times in my life, I'm afraid and even unwilling to give up this imaginary, hypothetical pen. Out of fear, perhaps, and off the presumption that I can pen the best story to paper. But times like these, I forget that I don't even have to write my own story. He has an even better plot line for the story of my life -- all planned out, details and all, with just one catch -- I hand over the pen. When the struggle ends, the story really begins.

The Only Way We Can Live

A few days ago, my director shared with us the eulogy given at Robert Kennedy’s funeral in 1968. RFK was assassinated on June 5th. He was the younger brother of JFK, US attorney general and senator, and a front-running presidential candidate. Now, I’m not well-versed in American history, but I found his eulogy inspiring. In remembering their relative, the Kennedy's quoted RFK's own words in a speech he gave to the people of South Africa on their Day of Affirmation on 1966. In it, he calls us to pursue an ideal that is greater than our being, to strive for something beyond ourselves. Linking it to today, with all the recent world events — the economic crisis, tragic natural and man-made disasters, violence, starvation, poverty and warfare — this is inspiring to me because it reminds me that even with all the maliciousness and negativity in the world, good can still exist. And if just a few of us in these few moments that we are given in this life, just try to align our lifestyles and shift our mentalities if even in a minor way, perhaps we can make a major change in the current state of affairs. Educate yourself:

“There is discrimination in this world and slavery and slaughter and starvation. Governments repress their people; millions are trapped in poverty while the nation grows rich and wealth is lavished on armaments everywhere. These are differing evils, but they are the common works of man. They reflect the imperfection of human justice, the inadequacy of human compassion, our lack of sensibility towards the suffering of our fellows. But we can perhaps remember — even if only for a time — that those who live with us are our brothers; that they share with us the same short moment of life; that they seek — as we do — nothing but the chance to live out their lives in purpose and happiness, winning what satisfaction and fulfillment they can.

“The future does not belong to those who are content with today, apathetic toward common problems and their fellow man alike, timid and fearful in the face of new ideas and bold projects. Rather it will belong to those who can blend vision, reason and courage in a personal commitment to the ideals and great enterprises of American Society. Our future may lie beyond our vision, but it is not completely beyond our control. It is the shaping impulse of America that neither fate nor nature nor the irresistible tides of history, but the work of our own hands, matched to reason and principle, that will determine our destiny. There is pride in that, even arrogance, but there is also experience and truth. In any event, it is the only way we can live.”

In an eerie way, this slightly reassures me. It's all too easy to get caught up in this mundane, stressful, chaotic, repetitive and almost robotic lifestyle. This reminds me that underneath it all, even though the work I do is mostly behind the scenes and something I never imagined myself doing, it is bringing about some sort of change to this world... I need to stop focusing on head over heart and mind over matter, and let my intuition govern my beliefs and love dictate my actions.