On Sport in America: Courage, integrity & fair play, but also a down side
An interesting subject was addressed in a recent Sports Illustrated -- Sport in America. Some aspects of our love for sport is good, but others not so. There is a down side, as the article points out, and also mentioned in the Baha'i Writings.
One could also argue that this camaraderie and entertainment promote personal as well as community well-being. This may be true, but where do our boundaries lie?
One of the signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very evident in the world today, is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion, an insatiable thirst for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games and sport, a reluctance to treat any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory attitude towards virtue and solid worth… Frivolity palls and eventually leads to boredom and emptiness, but true happiness and joy and humour that are parts of a balanced life that includes serious thought, compassion and humble servitude to God, are characteristics that enrich life and add to its radiance.
(From a letter dated 8 May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer)
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