Clarity and acceptance

The unexamined life is not worth living. – Socrates

This writer underwent life-changing cataract surgery and a lens implantation procedure last Tuesday. It was scary, mixed with a feeling of helplessness. But under the brilliant hands and mind of my classmate, Dr. Dino Fontanilla, I now have 20/20 vision in my right eye. It also brought a lot of insights, and the literal clarity brought figurative realizations, about sports and life. Please indulge me

My right eye was down to 50 percent functionality due to cataracts. My left eye is still at below 80 percent, and I will undergo another procedure for it on the 18th. It’s amazing how clear everything has become. Colors are brighter, events are clearer, more detail comes out. It’s very helpful in my line of work as a professional observer. Commentating has become much easier, and detail jumps out. It has also helped me in doing interviews, and I see the micro expressions of the people I’ve been talking to.

One of my realizations is that we are often unaware of what we are missing. We see only what you can and only what we want to. I used to think my left eye was so much clearer than my right. Now that I have a point of comparison, I’m shocked at how blurry it actually is. I had allowed it to deteriorate so badly. Figuratively, it’s a lesson for all of us, particularly those plans and great programs for athletes and grassroots development. Do we even know what we are missing, but we can do better. What we do that doesn’t work? What will it take to expand our awareness? How will we figuratively scrap out cataracts that put a haze over our vision?

On the flipside, now the defects, flaws and pockmarks are sharper. I was literally shocked at the thousands of freckles all over my arm, which I could no longer see before. It’s a common problem with people in general, more so with athletes who are physically stronger than the general public. 

Often, we believe that, since athletes are public figures whom we admire in one aspect of their lives, that they are brilliant in everything, not flawed like all of us. They, in turn, must have the humility to accept that they are not perfect, and constantly need to strive towards perfection. Without that, they will hit dead-ends all the time. Icarus flew too close to the sun, when a simple change in direction would have led him to where he was going. Internally, we have to find ways to shake things up regularly, plan longer, broader, deeper. This will create lasting change. How many times have we criticized our sports leaders and organizations for not seeing what we see?

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At the Philippine Bicycle Demo and Expo 2024 last weekend, popular sports eyewear brand Sprinto drew a lot of attention with a fresh combination of innovation and style in its newest line. Athletes and sportsmen also discovered the latest in performance eyewear, the Vinicunca. 

“The Vinicunca’s anti-fog lens coating, built-in air vents, and TR90 frame deliver unparalleled comfort and clarity,“ explains Sprinto’s marketing director Pawlo Vargas Misolas. “Its unique design pattern is a first for us, and we’re thrilled to offer it.”