Man Vs. Moment

Is it possible to separate the man from the moment, or are they forever linked and inseparable? That is the question that has been going through my head the last few days. A few months ago Lance Armstrong admitted to using performance enhancing drugs while winning the Tour De France, this week Oscar Pistorius stands trial, accused of murdering his girlfriend. I rooted for these men to succeed, I was inspired by the obstacles they had overcome, and now I have to decide if that inspiration is tainted.

I have never cared about cycling, I don't even know how to ride a bike, so why would I want to watch hundreds of men peddle through the south of France? Lance Armstrong was why, I watched his story of overcoming testicular cancer that had spread to his brain and to his lungs. He was told by doctors that he had less than a 40% chance of survival, and yet he not only survived, he became a champion and started a foundation for others who fought cancer, how could I not have rooted for him?

Oscar Pistorius was born without a fibula in both legs, and at just 11 months old he had his legs amputated. That didn't stop him, he wanted to run, and with the help of prosthetics did just that, running so fast he won multiple medals at the paralympic games. Still he wanted more, he wanted to run against able bodied men, to compete against the very best. At first he was told no, told that a man without legs somehow had an advantage over a man blessed with two, but he fought on and in 2012 competed in the London Games as a representative of South Africa. He made it to the semi finals of the 400 meter before finishing last in his heat, but he finished. A man born without fibulas crossed the finish line in the Olympics. How could I have not rooted for him?

Scandal has now engulfed both of these men, but does it have to engulf me and my memories as well? My answer to this is no. This is the story of my life, and those moments aren't about them, but about how they changed me. I can take that moment and feeling of inspiration it gave me and use it whenever I need to. That moment and this moment are not linked by chains, but by simple string, string that I can cut at my choosing. Their future failures (alleged and admitted) can not take away from me. Those men are human, they can fail, be corrupted, or change... but those moments can not be changed for they are perfect. I am a better man for those moments, and nothing those men do, now or in the future, will change that simple truth.