A few days ago, as the Super Bowl began, as I prepared to watch the Denver Broncos play against the Carolina Panthers, I wrote about the Payton Manning vs Cam Newton quarterback challenge as the old guy vs the young guy. A 39 year old quarterback doesn’t have the agility, flexibility, or healing power that a 26 year old quarterback has. As we age, we lose the ability to jump high and land hard without breaking a hip! Great orthopedic surgeons and physical therapists can help us cover the great distance to health after an injury, but… I was worried about the match up. As it turns out… defense won the game and the quarterbacks were not great scorers on either side.
Half way through the game I realized I had used the word “old†for Manning and what I should have said was “experience and maturity.†In muscle power and flexibility, the young guy wins, but in wisdom and maturity it’s hands down “the old guy.†I realized that while looking at Cam Newton who lost his bravado and pride in the middle of the game. He didn’t have the maturity to “get over it.†He didn’t know how to fight to come back that we get as we age. He couldn’t ignore the mistakes that "first timers" make and he couldn’t get over the missed and dropped passes. It wasn’t his angst that passed along into his team so the penalties started mounting up, or was it? What’s with us these days? Bravado, a big mouth, taunting, name calling has become the norm. I listened to Donald Trump yesterday, and I thought the mothers of America must be shivering in their shoes, years of teaching against name calling and taunting lost in a single speech by a political candidate. No, Donald, it isn’t OK. Grow up! Talk to the issues. And it isn’t only Donald, folks, we all need to look to our tempers and our tongues. God bless us.