Jesus, Jazz, and Buddhism

“Woo…Pig Sooie! Woo…Pig Sooie!” is the slogan used by football fans from Arkansas to cheer the football team ar University of Arkansas. I was fortunately invited by an American friend to see a football game between Arkansas and South Carolina.  Witnessing the football competition and the passion of the American people and players gave me a new and different understanding of the culture and philosophy behind it.  I saw teamwork.

When we got there and got out of the car, we were welcomed by folks dressed in Arkansas Razorbacks T-shirt and redness.  You may not know them, but they know you.  I felt that I was not in a game, but in a warmly-received gathering of my people. Walking to the football field, red tents and people dressed up with the sign of Razorbacks were everywhere and from then I got the confidence that Arkansas will be the winner before it started. Fans greeted me and were more than pleased to be asked to take pictures with. 

Whatever your color of skin, whatever your status of poverty or wealth and whatever the way you do to back up Razorbacks, you are part of the community. Football is not just a game in America; it is a culture and spirit that unites people to pursue their dreams. As Confucius had put it, “The gentleman (君子) encompasses all and impartial.”  In this culture, each person is treated as a friend.  Football fans are not bad people as reported in some news, but very nice citizens who are enthusiastic about what they like. This surprised me. Violence is usually tightly connected with American football and its people in most Chinese people’s eyes including me, but today when I witnessed it, I found that it is not violent at all. Instead, it is a time when you got to know the real gentlemen in Confucius’ eyes.

Unlike soccer and basketball, American football players are better protected physically by outfits and game rules.  It is not a game with people simply pushing and shoving each other, but is a strategic cooperation among all the players. Speed and energy are the common elements that are required to win the game, however, through my observations, strategy, coordination and teamwork appear to be more important. If you want to be the god of your team and everyone should give the ball to you to have a touchdown, then you are totally wrong.  You cannot be a god; you must be a team-player.  In the game when Arkansas won, nobody seemed to want to take all the credit.  It is only if you have this idea in your mind -- that of teamwork -- can you live up to your fans’ expectations. This is the unity and sense of compromise within the individualism of America and perfectly matches what Mencius’ conclusion of the superior man, who should be harmonious with other people (和而不同).  Eventually, Arkansas won and the victorious atmosphere echoed, when everybody lifted their arms, saying: “Arkansas, Arkansas; USA, USA”!

So what about the violence?  This is not the only article in JJB on football.  Another article, written by an esteemed scholar in the United States, who is also a former football player, says that football is primarily about one person hitting another person.  See "Football: It's About the Hitting."  GO And another article, written by another scholar in the United States, admits that it is violent among players, but also emphasizes, like me, that it requires that people on a given team cooperating with one another in a mindful way.   It is called "Football: Mindful Acting in Concert." GO  But they both approach football from the point of view of players.  In this article I am approaching it as a spectator: a Chinese spectator.  What impresses me is the harmony and ideal cooperation within the team and the community, between players, players and fans and all those involved in supporting and sending good wishes to Razorbacks. As seen in the pictures, "Go! Hogs!" is composed of six young people, with a total stranger from another country and a different cultural background, perfectly demonstrating the theme and spirit of the Arkansas football community in the harmonious and united way.

In my own country, China, there were traditional feasts between the ruling people of the Chin dynasty and the majority people, who were Han.  At these feasts people coming from different backgrounds got together, not unlike at a football game, and enjoyed a gorgeous feast.  On the table they saw foods of many different colors, tastes, smells, textures.  There was a visual display of harmony in the food itself, as there is at any Chinese banquet.  And as they ate together, they, too, felt the sense of harmony.  As I left the football game, I wondered if Chinese and Americans cannot come together in this way, too.  With our different backgrounds, cannot we also enjoy some kind of feast, some kind of mutual cooperation, amid which we sense a unity amid our diversity.  And what can we cheer for?  Perhaps it is not for a victory of the Razorbacks, but a kind of spiritual accomplishment, a kind of harmony, an ongoing banquet.  That's the deeper lesson I left with.  That's the lesson I'll take home.

* Note: My friend, Jay McDaniel, assisted me in writing the last two sections.

“Woo…Pig Sooie! Woo…Pig Sooie!”是阿肯色州橄榄球迷们用来为自己队伍加油的口号。我很幸运能够受到美国朋友的邀请来观看阿肯色州对南卡罗莱纳州的橄榄球赛。亲眼目睹了橄榄球的紧张刺激和美国球迷以及球员的热情，我对橄榄球的文化和哲学有了新的不同的理解。我看到了团队协作。

当我们到达目的地以后下车的时候，迎接我们的是身穿阿肯色橄榄球队标志T恤的人和漫山遍野的红色。你可能不认识他们，但是他们认识你，他们知道你是来为自己的队伍加油。我感到我不仅仅在一个赛事当中，更多的是受到了与我同行的人热烈地欢迎和接纳。在走向比赛场地的途中，红色的帐篷和身穿阿肯色独有标志衣服的人比比皆是，我在比赛开始前就充满信心，阿肯色一定是今晚的王者。球迷们不断地和我打招呼，如果我要求和他们合影，他们异常高兴。

其中的孔子哲学
不论你是什么肤色，不论你是富有还是贫穷也不论你用什么方式来支持自己的球队，你是这个大家庭中的一份子。在美国，橄榄球已经不仅仅是一个比赛，更多是一种文化和精神，把人们凝聚起来追求自己的梦想。像孔子在论语里说的“君子周而不比”。在这个文化里，人们都把彼此看成朋友。橄榄球迷和球员并不像有些报道里所说的是素质不好、品的不高的人，而是对于自己的爱好充满热情的友好公民。这一点让我感到有些惊讶。在包括我在内的大多数中国人看来，暴力通常和美国橄榄球紧紧联系在一起，然而今天当我亲临这场赛事的时候，我才发现一点都不暴力。相反，你可以亲身了解孔子所说的君子般的人物。

团队协作思想
与传统足球和篮球不同，美国橄榄球员的护具以及橄榄球的规则为球员们提供了良好的保护。这种比赛不单纯是球员之间互相推倒冲撞，而是所有队员之间的战术合作。速度和体力固然重要，也是赢得比赛的重要条件，然而通过我的观察，战术、协调和团队协作是更加重要的。如果你想成为本队的神每个人都得把球给你来独自得分，那么你就完全错了。你不可能成为神，你必须做好球队的一份子。这场赛事以阿肯色胜利结束，没有人愿意独得所有的功劳。只有当你牢牢记住团队协作精神的时候你才能不辜负球迷的期望。这是美国个性主义中的团结和协作意识，与孟子眼中和而不同的君子恰好融合。最终，阿肯色胜利了，喜悦的气氛久久回荡，每个人都振臂高呼：“阿肯色，阿肯色；美利坚，美利坚！”

暴力还是合作
至于其中的暴力呢？这篇文章不是这个网站中唯一的关于橄榄球的文章。另外一位美国知名学者的文章，作者曾经是橄榄球运动员，提到橄榄球最主要的还是人与人之间的冲撞。《橄榄球：冲撞的运动》。还有另外一位美国学者写的文章，承认在球员之间存在暴力，但是，和我一样，强调其中的一点就是有意识的团队协作，文章的名字是《橄榄球：演出时的意识表现》。但他们都是从球员的角度认识橄榄球。在我的这篇文章里，我从一个旁观者的角度：一位来自中国的观众。给我印象最深刻的是一支球队和整个大家庭内部的和谐与理想的合作，这种合作在球员之间，球员和球迷之间以及在那些所有参与到支持和祝福阿肯色橄榄球队的人们之间。就像照片里展示的那样，“加油”的英文由6个人组成，他们同一位来自另外一个国家不同文化背景的陌生人在一起亲切合影，这完美地展示了阿肯色橄榄球大家庭的主题和精神，那就是和谐团结。

和谐
在我的祖国中国，清代统治阶级满族同汉族老百姓举办过满汉全席。在那里来自不同背景的人聚集在一起，就像在一场橄榄球比赛中一样，享受完美的盛宴。在餐桌上不同颜色、口味、香味和样式的食物琳琅满目，当他们共同享用的时候，彼此都感到了其中的和谐。当我离开赛场的时候，我在思考是否中国人和美国人也可以像这样的聚在一起。虽然有着不同的文化背景，我们难道不能共享这样的盛宴、寻求共同的合作吗?超越我们的不同和分歧。我们为什么欢呼？或许不是为了阿肯色橄榄球队的胜利，而是一种精神上的成就，一种和谐的盛宴。这就是在比赛结束后我的所得，我会把它带回我的祖国。

注：我的朋友杰伊·麦克丹尼尔给了我最后两段的写作灵感，特此致谢