No Man is an Island

Following Floyd's spectacular win of the Tour de France, the Landis family was mobbed by camera-lugging reporters , well-wishers, neighbors, friends, and strangers. People called, drove by and blew the horn, stopped for a visit. Reporters were at their house Sunday morning before they left for church. They followed Paul & Arlene to church where Floyd's brother Bob told the reporters, "We are here to worship. You are welcome to come inside and worship with us, but your equipment stays outside." When Paul & Arlene returned home, there were 15 reporters waiting for them at the door. Reporters swarmed the property until after 11 PM and returned Monday at 6:30 AM. Paul, Arlene, and Floyd's sister Charity tried to be gracious with the reporters, but the youngest sister, Abby, quickly tired of the publicity and tried to avoid them. They hoped in a day or two the publicity would fade and they could go on with life. However, then came the doping allegations and with them more reporters. The reporters became rude and demanding. The Landis family was eventually forced to leave their home because the reporters were not allowing them to function.

This whole experience is a better object lesson on the consequences of our choices than I could ever imagine. Regardless of whether they approved of Floyd's choices or not, the Landis family has to deal with the consequences of his choices. Whether it is fame or shame, they have to deal with the reporters. They did not choose to be on the front page of the local newspaper almost every day this week--but that is where they were. They did not choose to be interviewed on national television--but as a result of Floyd's choices, they were interviewed every day. Whether Floyd is guilty or innocent, is not the topic of discussion here. Whether we like the consequences or not does not make any difference. The choices others make have an impact on our lives. The choices we make have an impact on others lives.

As John Donne stated in Meditation XVII, "no man is an island."

Thoughts on the Tour de France

I was trying to decide if I should write this before the end of the race or wait until I know who is wearing the yellow jersey in Paris. I opted for before.

Floyd Landis has made his bid on the yellow jersey. He went to France to win the race, and he has put forth his best effort. Whether he wins the Tour de France or not, is not the most important thing.

What has Floyd gained by becoming the American favorite to win the Tour? He certainly has more money than I will ever have. He has more fame than I will ever have. He's been on more magazine covers than I would ever want. He has seen more of Europe than I will probably ever see. He is certainly more physically fit than I am. He has an outstanding determination. He doesn't let pain get in the way of meeting his goals. I respect Floyd for his determination and perserverance.

But what has Floyd traded for all of this? He doesn't see many of his longtime friends or family very often--maybe once or twice a year. His hobby has become a job. After retirement from cycling, what skills does he have to take up another occupation? Most importantly, his relationship with God is something he doesn't discuss. He avoids the issue. He laughs and changes the subject. The Tour de France is going well for him at this point and he may win, but will he win the race that is much more important than the Tour de France?

There is a group of people not unlike the riders in the Tour. They have determination to reach the lost of the world in city, village, or country. They perservere through years with very little evidence of the work they are doing, but they are planting seeds. They give their lives to meet a goal. Few know who they are. They may not know each other. They own very little. They will be forgotten in the eyes of the world, but the contribution they make in reaching the lost will have rewards that will last much longer than a yellow jersey.

Dissertation Milestone

One thousand sheets of paper and an ink cartridge later, the dissertation is in the mail again. The last two weeks have been kind of crazy as I focused on rewriting chapters 4 & 5 in just over a week. An e-mail arrived from my chairman on July 10 with his comments so I could get started. The rest of the packet arrived on July 12. I entered a time of seclusion with my nose to the computer and very few breaks for anything else. Over the weekend I enjoyed taking two days off and then Monday morning I was back at the computer by 6 A.M. Yesterday I began the long process of printing out 4 copies of the complete manuscript. I had two reams of paper and a brand new ink cartridge. This morning as I was printing out the last 100 sheets or so, I ran out of ink first and had to run to Office Max for another one. Then, I was a few sheets short on the paper. Thankfully, there is paper in a print shop, and I could finish it and get it packaged for mailing. The trip to the post office was not an inexpensive one since I mailed it express mail. The very apologetic postal service worker socked me $41.30 with a promise that it will arrive in Florida by tomorrow noon.

Sometimes I wonder why I ever started this ordeal, but I am sure I will be glad to have accomplished it when the misery fades into the background.