Maradona died a few days ago and I was surprised by how sad the news made me. He was the best soccer player of his generation, and then some. One of the best ever, if not the best.
He had a long career on and off the field and many ups and downs in both. He ran into trouble several times because he was a rebel and disliked authority very much (hmm I just discovered one thing we had in common). I am not a soccer expert (heck, I am not an expert at anything, I am kind of lost after all) but I drew two lessons from all the memories I just reminisced about in the last couple of days and all the comments I heard and read.
Very appropriately for such a complex and controversial figure, the lessons are from one thing he, I think, did right and one where he, I think, fell very short. “Una de cal y una de arena”, as we say in Argentina (loose translation: “to apply carrot and stick”, which probably falls short in trying to capture the meaning).
Two lessons from Diego Maradona’s life (and death):
Live life to the fullest
The good one, obviously. I didn’t realize this aspect of Maradona until his death. He did everything with passion and got to be the best in his field not only with a lot of talent but also with a lot of work. He also lived intensely, and purposely with defects and everything…
I’d say I have a lot to work on this matter; so much more to do and so much more to be. I am still barely scratching the surface.
Surround yourself with people better than you
The bad one, sadly. It always made me mad that he was around bad managers and advisors. He was a magnet for scoundrels, the shallowest people. Even caused his death. He died alone, for someone with his fame and fortune, it is inconceivable that he was surrounded by bad doctors, bad nurses, bad lawyers bad people. And throughout his life, his managers, buddies, and friends were always among the worst he could find.
I am lucky to have people around to inspire me in one way or another. No one is a bad influence and more than a few have made me a better person.
Well, those were my two lessons from Diego Maradona’s life and death. I thought writing something would help me feel better. It didn’t help much, maybe a little. And it let me write about something I don’t usually write about.
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