we start off life being are all about ourselves. some individuals can go through their entire life being all about themselves. it takes a maturity to be able to start seeing others in life and their needs.
when we see others and their needs, our attitudes change. we realize that there is more going on in this world than just ourselves. we understand that there are relationships beyond ourselves. we begin to understand that there is a bigger picture to the universe.
the holiday of passover, which celebrates the exodus, has a moment within it that touches on this point. over 1800 years ago, the haggadah, the book that is the telling of the story and is recited during the passover meal, the seder. the goal of the seder is for those attending to celebrate as if they were there when the exodus happened. thus, it is intended that they experience both the oppression of slavery and the joy of freedom. as part of the retelling of the story, the haggadah includes the tale of the four sons. the four sons being one wise, one wicked, one simple and one unable to talk,
the wicked son asks the question, about the holiday “what are all these things to you?” arguably, he is incapable of getting outside of himself to relate to concepts of oppression and freedom. he is trapped in his own world. he can’t get out of it. perhaps, this inability to relate to the outside world gave him the label as being wicked.
special people have the power to transform others. special people have the power to unite a community. this is the tale of a special person and what he accomplished.
jack was a team manager for his high school football team in california. jake has a developmental disability which impacted his learning. he, however, possessed a lot of enthusiasm. it was going to be senior night for the team and their coach tristan mccoy planned something special. whdh.com
““we talked about jake a lot that week and how he represents all the values that we stand for as a team,” mccoy said. “he represents it more than any kid in our program right now, just his attitude, his commitment to the team and loyalty, and you know, life is hard for jake, but he finds a way to put his shoes on and smile every day and attack life with a great attitude.”” whdh.com
the team plotted out a way to get jake in the game to score a touchdown on the team team rallying around him. whdh.com
jake felt great about it. so did everyone else. whdh.com
jake was a great teacher. as noted in an article that “one of the football players said, “he’s always out here smiling, giving us water, trying to cheer us on, however he can and for us to be able to give back to him and help him score, it was a great moment for all of us.” whdh.com
while the touchdown did not count, the team was inspired and won the game.
jake is a profound teacher. he teaches by being an example of how to live life. he lives his life with an enthusiasm. his dedication taught those involved with the team one of the most important lessons in life. the lesson being ” it is good to do for others. in doing so, you can experience a greater joy than you can imagine.”
why is jake so important? i would contend that no parent, no educator, and no religious leader could have done a better in opening the hearts and minds of those involved.
the players on the team now have a score that they can build upon in living a moral and fulfilling life. jake was recognized for commitment.
congratulations for all those involved. may this experience lead to bigger and better things for all.
be well!
The Ten Commandments Project 