It should be obvious that a competitive sport is a rejection of the Golden Rule and the command to love your neighbor as yourself, but politicians and the major religious groups within our society have yet to catch on. Vast numbers of people still do not realize that our purpose in living is to help each other and not to beat each other.
Less obvious is the understanding that a competitive sport is a futile activity. Henry Ford declared that genius is nothing more than experience over many lifetimes. No human being is superior or inferior to any other human being in intrinsic worth or in the ability to accomplish. Hence, participation in competitive sports is futile or a waste of time.
But the freeholders of Monmouth County did not want to hear any of it when I confronted them at the public portion of their Feb. 26 meeting in Freehold, where they were giving out certificates of recognition to winning football teams from Monmouth County high schools.
It would be far more productive and character-building if high school students in teams of five, nine and 11 went to the property owners who pay the educational cost by way of a property tax with the proposition of offering their labor to help maintain house and land at the pleasure of the taxpayer. It would be voluntary. But there is more to gain from our Creator in this endeavor than in being part of a winning football team.
Ray Kalainikas
Manalapan