Shaming of theTrue 

A fresh and unique blending of two traditionally disconnected topics---spirituality and sports. Follow Sly Young as he attempts to accomplish the feat of playing professionally in the three major sports using positive character traits taught through scripture.

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                               BEING OBJECTIVIVE

LEVITICUS 19:15 - Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor; nor honour the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thy judge thy neighbor.

Objectivity is the ability to perceive or describe something without being influenced by personal emotions or prejudices. The New Living Translation of this scripture brings God’s teachings into clear focus; “Always judge your neighbors fairly, neither favoring the poor nor showing deference to the rich.”

What a wonderful trait to have in your spirit and as part of your character. Imagine having the ability to not only view things fairly but to communicate or describe the situation without judgments.

One of the things that young folks, no all folks, often times have a problem with are the difference between fair and equal. They are not the same! Objective people are able to see things different from subjective people. The two terms, objective and subjective, are opposites but are some times confused. A subjective point of view is biased and/or slanted in some way, shape or form. It is unfairly influenced by some preconceived notion. This event then triggers some personal emotion that slants the true situation.

Many, many times the subjective thinker has not a clue that they have pre-judged, favored or shown deference because of a past experience that could very well be totally unrelated. Treat your neighbors (people) fairly! That does not mean treat them all the same. You should not feel that this is a request to treat them equally. Prior facts can and should help to determine some degree of discernment.

An example of equal vs. fair can be illustrated in the case of two tardy students. They walk into the classroom at the exact same time – five minutes late.  Student A is frequently tardy, approximately five minutes each time. Student B is never tardy but today walks in with Student A. Should the two students receive the same consequence? An equal consequence would be for both to miss 10 minutes of recess for being tardy. But a more fair consequence would be for student A to miss, let’s say all of recess, and student B to only miss a small portion if any at all.

Now that we have distinguished equal from fair let’s move on to how objectivity can be a major blessing and subjectivity can be oh so unfair. Discernment is a good trait that requires evidence and leads to fairness. Subjectivity is not good because it is based mainly on feelings and opinions. If a person has some opinions already formed about the poor, it is easy to see how that could influence how they view this particular group. Likewise some feelings toward the rich and/or mighty would also risk unrighteous judgments.

There are two common examples that come to mind when teaching objectivity. One deals with age bias while the second focuses on romantic relationships. A 17 year old and his friend are waiting for a parking space close to the store. An elderly person in the space seems to take forever. The two friends begin to talk about elderly drivers and how they shouldn’t be allowed to drive. Is it fair to group all elderly drivers in the same boat? They finally get in the store and begin to shop. They have multiple tattoos and wear their hats to the side. The elderly store owner begins to follow them around the store and watch them intently. Is it fair to group all teens with tattoos in the same boat? Each example shows how prejudices are perpetuated and how unfair they are.

The relationship piece deals with the man who has been hurt by his last girlfriend who took him for all his money—GOLD DIGGER SUPREME! Now every woman he meets he is skeptical because he feels all women are like his old girlfriend. On the other hand, if we flip the script, we look at the woman who has just been mistreated in her last relationship. Her subjective belief is that ALL MEN ARE DOGS! So every man she meets now is a canine extraordinaire. Be objective! It is important to view all neighbors fairly. In all situations and at all times.

For coaches and players alike this becomes a difficult trait to maintain. At some point you come across a coach, as a player, who reminds you of a past experience. Don’t judge the coach based on some prior circumstance. You and your parents must treat him objectively. Your personal emotions cannot influence how you deal with this individual. What is also most important is that you don’t pass on your feelings to other players and parents and become the proverbial “cancer”. The same holds true for coaches and your dealings with players and parents. Please don’t group them together and treat them equally, when the scripture says to treat them fairly. Talented and not as talented should be treated fairly. The same should occur when making decisions about the son or daughter of the President of the Boosters Club and the player with seemingly no support system. There should be no favor, no deference, only righteousness.

                                                                                                     Fred Tudor

Fred Tudor is a twenty-two year employee of the Cincinnati Public Schools as a Health and Physical Education teacher. He has been coaching at the high school level in Greater Cincinnati since graduating from Wittenberg University in 1979. His coaching stints includes stops at his alma mater Walnut Hills High School, Hughes Center High School, and from 1990 until present coaches at Wyoming High School. His church home is Cincinnati Bibleway Church in Madisonville, Apostles James and Grace Blue Pastors. Contact Information: 513.328.2767 E-Mail: Info@CincySportsWorld.com