Ceditra: Second At-Bats

Over the past two days, the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) has been airing the latest documentary by Ken Burns entitled Baseball The Tenth Inning, which is a follow-up to his 1994 film Baseball. This new documentary highlights the troublesome 1990s of the National Pastime which includes the Steroid Era and the labor strike that caused the cancellation of the 1994 World Series. It was these events and Major League Baseball’s reaction (or lack of reaction) to these indignities that caused my own strike from baseball (as mentioned in a previous blog entry).

With this documentary on the air, it seemed to a be good segue into this ceditra entry from September 7, which had as its random genesis an advertisement in The Washington Post for Washington Post Wednesdays offering five dollars off Washington Nationals home games:

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It appears that my old habit of hitting advertisements when a newspaper was selected. In the old days of this experiment, the newspaper of choice was USA Today and the last few entries, if memory serves, were about ads.

Back to today and our subject is baseball. I have written about my boycott of baseball so there’s no need to go there again.

An aspect of my boycott is that I am not passing on my love of baseball and the game to my children. I don’t watch it on TV with my kids and, with one exception, we have not taken them to a Nationals game (and even then it was only because the tickets were free). Therefore, my trio of progeny have a limited exposure of the National Pastime.

Tied to that is the fact that, with one exception, my boys have not played youth baseball at any level. Jared played T-ball for one season, but didn’t go back to the game because he thought T-ball, at that level, was boring (there was no fielding, every batter hit the ball and only ran to first base). Christopher, now twelve, has never played but he did ask last week if he could start. I am concerned that since he has never played that he would be at a disadvantage against all the other kids who have been playing since they were a fetus.

But then again, if he wants to play, why shouldn’t I let him?
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Back to today and I now may have the possibility to regain my love of the game and to introduce my children to baseball without going through Major League Baseball as the news was announced that a new professional baseball team, the Loudoun Hounds, is coming to my neck of northern Virginia.

Perhaps my kids' ticket to love the game

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The Random Buddhist – Day One

I haven’t been able to listen to National Public Radio (NPR) without hearing on-air annoucements for the TV show, The Buddha, airing on the Public Broadcasting System (PBS).

It would be interesting to see the story of the Buddha depicted on TV. It reminds me of the time, that I alluded to in an earlier post, when I wandered in the desert of my own spirituality. One of my stops along my circular path was to read and embrace the teachings of the Buddha. While doing that, I kept notes. What follows is my first entry.

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October 6, 2003 (Monday)

This is going to be harder than I thought.

It is one thing to accet the tenets and the rationale behind Buddhism. It is quite another to actually put them into practice.

I am also at a disadvantage of attempting to suffle off thirty-five years of conditioning by society and by Judiasm. This is not to say that the Western, capitalist society that I grew up in is wrog or that the Jewish faith is misguided. No, I am saying that the philosophy of the Buddha runs counter to what I have been taught for three and a half decades.

That amount of indoctrination cannot be unraveled in a week.

I have the distinct feeling that I have the remainder of the days in front of me to be enlightened. I should be so lucky.

See how tough it si for me to break my habit. Even my constant refences to “I” and “me” is anti-Buddhist. According to the teaching, there is no unchanging permanent Self or “I”. What I refer is as “I” is only a conglomeration of the Five Aggregates (Matter, Senses, Perception, Mental Formation, Consciousness).

However, I guess it is easier when writing down these thoughts to refer to myself as “I” or “myself” just so long as I (and you) understand that the use of these words (“I”, “me”, “mine”) are only shorthands notations that do not reflect Truth as it is.

Maybe I am making some headway. Even a week ago, the last paragraph would have confused the heck out of me, but now I understand it better than I would have seven days ago.

To finish up this first entry, let me state what I find refreshing in Buddhism. Everyone and anyone can attain enlightenment by themselves. There is no need to go through a Savior or through being a member of the chosen people or to submit to a diety. All may come to the Truth on their own. I like that.
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Back to 2010 and I have no other comment than to say I am where I am now.

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