We All Hate to Admit it...BUT

Si non oscilas, noli tintinnare

Back in the mid-sixties a friend and I were invited to spend a week in the Playboy Mansion. The original mansion was a 70-room classical residence in Chicago. On entering the front entrance we were greeted by a large brass plate that read in Latin, "Si non oscilas, noli tintinnare". Translated into English, "If you don't swing, don't ring".  We didn't swing but we rang anyway -  and were let in!

On one occasion Mr. Hefner, on a TV talk show, was attacked by a panel member challenging him for dressing young women as bunnies in the Playboy Clubs. It was disgraceful, she said, because it portrayed them as animals. Hefner replied that there are only three choices - animal, vegetable or mineral, take your pick! Obviously she was not a swinger.

We hate to admit it but the reality is: man (mankind) is an animal and we are very complex beings. Someone once wrote that a single cell is more complicated than the most advanced computers on the market today. The obvious question is then - what sets us apart from other animals? Aristotle said we can make rational choices. He also stressed the social aspects of mankind. I think one could conclude that our cultural evolutions is just as important as our physical evolution. But in the end we are still all animals.

Today, Sunday November 24th, and the fans have been warming up to participate in the rabid encounter  between the  Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Saskatchewan Rough Riders, both teams in the hunt for a victory. Signs of our animal heritage are everywhere. I must admit I played both high-school (English Rugby) and college football (Flag Football). I am no longer a football fan, mainly because of the intentional violence. Nevertheless, there is something that attracts the animal instincts in all of us. I can remember, after a difficult high-school game on a late November cold and rainy evening, feeling very macho and proud of my scratched arms and aching bones.

On the other hand I must admit, that in spite of the intentional violence in some of our games, there is great value in these public displays of emotion. In our Western world making a living and looking after ourselves and families is a very engaging and time consuming responsibility. Very little opportunity exists for a public display of emotion. Years ago attending church, with its religious  and social life, provided an occasion for gathering with friends and neighbours, something not always possible during the week. Today, publicly supporting a major sports event provides an opportunity for many to vent their animal instincts. After all the human animal plays a major role in our struggle to survive. In fact, at this level we are not yet much different from our primitive ancestors. Like them we have emotions, show affection, exercise passion and even revenge - just  to name a few.

So even if you are not a football fan at least recognize the opportunities these sports afford many to let off steam and to ease the return to everyday important responsibilities.

Oops, it is getting late and I must run and turn on the T.V.  The game will be starting soon.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week.