It has been 3 months since I broke my right arm, and I am now able to throw a frisbee for the first time. I now go with my son to the field up the street, and throw him 'long ones'. Perhaps you know the ones I am talking about. The frisbee sits on the air, seemingly in defiance of all sorts of laws of Newtonian physics and Euclidean geometry. Time stands still. I have always gotten a thrill when a frisbee finds that sweet spot on the air, hovering seemingly forever. It seems to stop, and yet sometimes it is flying through the air very quickly. It is a difficult thing to describe, and perhaps a Zen Buddhist or Taoist might do a better job. Yes, it is as if the frisbee sits on the Tao, the 'path of the universe'. After a session of throwing frisbees, I often feel as though I have been meditating.
I had the thought the other day that the game of Ultimate frisbee seems to be patterned after the 'frisbee-Tao' described above. Certainly, the game is like no other. In every game I've played the teams are 'evened out': if one side is stronger than the other, players are exchanged. This has the effect of decreasing that hard and sharp edge of competition, and increasing an overall sense of 'goodwill'. Further, the play rarely stops. It flows backwards and forwards, with people going from offense to defense readily, easily and frequently. Finally, play continues until everyone is too tired to keep going, and then 'the next point wins'. In most games I've played no-one even bothers to keep score, and there are no time limits, beyond those of human endurance and interest.
I can hardly wait to get back playing. Any one up for a little Ultimate frisbee? I'll throw you a long one.
3 comments:
WEll, I think you should bring your ultimate frisbee to the CV campus on Thursdays and we can start to meditate on the lawn with the frisbee.
You might be interested in reading the book called "Finding Flow", in which the author describes that of what you speak.
Didn't Vancouver just host the winter olympics? It should be too cold with too much snow to be able to play with a frisbee outside. You seem like the kind of guy who would have fun with a hackey sack inside, or even with a monkey who hits snare and cymbal after a joke.
Michael,
We have had spring like conditions that have resulted in entire neighbourhoods having to mow their respective lawns. Please do some research into where Vancouver Island is actually located.
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