After Tim Tebow and the Broncos beat the Steelers in their first playoff game in years, once again in miraculous fashion, Gaga posted this on facebook:
"Giants fan but wow. #Tebow Thats what the fuck a champion looks like." (as I am typing this Conan just told a joke about Tebow's win, ironic - now he's telling another one, ha ha)
It's been all the rage and this particular moment is perfect for my blog - I was wondering how I was going to work Tebow into the Gagablog then she posted that. The Tebow phenomenon is a great example of the kind of magic I have been describing. First I want to say that it is not only magic - of course talent and hard work and teamwork and sacrifice are major parts of it. But magic is a part of it too, whether you call it magic or blessing or prayer or divine favor or mass expectation. It's "the thing" that everyone is describing, that everyone is talking about, and there are parallels in Tebow and Gaga that are useful for understanding it. I enjoy watching football and especially miraculous finishes but there is something extra-special that people are responding to that is going on with Tebow and the Broncos. The Giants beat the Falcons yesterday, too, and the Falcons set some record for a playoff loss and of course they mentioned that on sportsnews. But CNN mentioned Tebow's magical win every twenty minutes. It has been fascinating to me just to listen to how people talk about Tebow and these miracle wins - for weeks they inevitably referred to them as "miraculous" but I noted how CNN was frequently saying "magical" - again, to me both words work well but it is an interesting choice. I loved hearing the announcers, near the end of of a game in Tebow's regular-season winning streak, saying things like "I wonder if he can pull it off again?" in the final minutes as it became crunch time, Tebow Time (I mean, the guy has a time, like MC Hammer - you can't deny that is awesome) then as the miracle occured they gasped and became speechless and at least two of them said in unison "unbelievable"
I live for moments like that, it was just delicious. Like I said, miraculous finishes are exciting for anyone who enjoys sports, but there is even something more special about Tebow Time, because of what it means. Ok, here is some magic: right before I started writing this I "accidentally" heard a christian radio station. In their DJ's view, it did not matter to Jesus if Tebow won the game. But it was important how it fit into and played out for the "larger message" of God's plan. Then she said something like this: the Neilson rating for the final moments of the Broncos game was 31.6, which she connected to John 3:16. Tebow is especially associated with this scripture, writing on his eye make-up in white numbers. She then said that it was the top search on Google today, with 90 million people searching it, and when I sat down at the computer to write this it was still one of the top trending items according to Yahoo!. To the christian radio announcer, this is God's work in action, and she would probably not call it magic. I do call it magic, not to start an argument, but to reach new agreement. Because there is argument available between the people who say Jesus does not care about football, that he does care, that someone else cares,or that only humans care, or that no one really cares because it is not important. But even though people may fall into one or more categories in how they feel about this, there is also a "general consensus" that includes magic/prayer by any name. It is not especially clever for the media to use terms like "miracle" and "divine intervention" talking about Tebow's victories with the Broncos but it would be stupid to ignore that aspect. We believe in this stuff, we believe in magic, regardless of the name. One of the reasons I have been excited about Tebow is I have always fully expected him to be a demonstration of the power of belief - both his belief in God and peoples' belief in him.
Growing up in the South, I am used to people talking about football religiously. I can see how some people would be bothered by hearing it in these terms but it seems natural to me. Our Buddhism professor at UGA asked us to define religion then we discussed what would qualify and I argued for "football". I might have stolen the idea from a frat guys T-shirt in class that said what football meant to people in different parts of the country and concluded (the best definition, in a special font) "in the South, its a Religion." I was not a football fan at the time but I could see the connections. I want to stress that I have great criticism of christianity, espcially evangelicals, and I was actually expecting to hate Tebow because I knew he was evangelical. It is one of my strongest held beliefs that the mentality and activity of many evangelicals is literally responsible for most of the evil in today's world. I do not waver on this. But to give you an idea of how deeply southerners think of football in religious terms, how much it affects our identity, as much as I expected to hate Tebow, admittedly out of prejudice, for being evangelical christian, I hated him even more for being a Gator, since I was raised in Athens Georgia and went to UGA and have been a Bulldog all my life. Plus, I spent years actively hating him as the Gators always beat us, and always in Florida since the Bigwigs tried to spoil our awesome Athens Halloween by making the GA-FL game always on Halloween Weekend and always in Florida. So I hated him for being the champion face of the Grinch who stole our Halloween on top of everything else. But when he got to Denver I changed my mind about him. It takes Jesus's help to forgive a Gator so I will give credit to Jesus, too, but mostly it is because of who Tebow really is.
I admit I was prejudiced against him, knowing he was evangelical and with my beliefs about the influence that many evangelicals have is really hurting the world, but after hearing him talk about it he is truly "not that bad." I think he is trying to set a good example and honor Jesus as best he can and I respect that. The difference is leading by example versus insiting that others agree with you, as the worst evangelicals do, supporting the worst elements of our politics. Tebow has genuine belief, and another thing, a genuine love of the game and sportsmanship, and both of these things make him "deserve" to win. Compared to Tom Brady in sportsmanship he is like Jesus versus Satan, which is why I know we will beat the Patriots this Saturday and can't wait for it. A great deal of his success on the field is because he works so hard, studying the game and practicing to be his best. This is the respect for the game. Another aspect of his success is the respect he gives and recieves from the other players that is evident in how he aknowledges players on the other team, both before and even during the game. It is this love of the game that makes him such a classic football player and icon. The greatest reason that I was able to overcome prejudice against him is just that he is such a nice guy. This is being genuine in the truest sense of the word, and the best kind of spirituality, the kind that makes you lead by the example of being nice. A recent quote of him referred to the perception that showing faith was weakness when he saw it as emulating "the strongest man ever in Jesus". It is this recognition of the strength of love, the ultimate power in what some would dismiss as weak, that is true strength. The strength to be true to our best selves, when we are all essentially beings of love. I was touched when the announcers were describing a fight on the field that Tebow got between the players to break it up. The announcers said that the players were all like "well, nobody's gonna hit you, Tim." This is both respect for Tebow as a good person, a genuine nice guy, and respect for what he represents as a man of peace.
For all my criticism of evangelicals in America, Tebow is a positive example. The other example, the assholes who think they are the only ones who are right and want to force everyone to agree, probably dislike Tebow for "trivializing" their faith by bringing it up in the context of football, but of course southerners and others really don't have a problem with that. Some evangelicals could surely criticize Tebow if they are jealous of him for having more influence than they do, but they are seeking their own honor while Tebow is truly trying to honor Jesus, which is why his efforts are more fruitful, since his are more genuine. This is another place that Tebow's sportsmanship comes into play, the recognition that it is bigger than him. Compare to Tom Brady whose attitude is that it is all about him. Jesus himself said that we honor him by honoring his Father. This is a principle of honor, that we gain honor by giving it to others. Tebow has gained honor by recognizing Jesus. Gaga has done the same, and gained another measure of honor when she posted what she did to honor Tebow. I have been saying things to honor Gaga (and Jesus and his mother the Goddess, to come full circle, though her) for years now and I have been wonderfully blessed in return.
This gets to my point about why I am talking about Tebow in my Gagablog to begin with, and it is to illustrate the power of belief. Whatever anyone else thinks, Tebow believes he is honoring Jesus when he plays well. This does not mean that Jesus's approval of Tebow will be reflected in the game's outcome but that he is expecting that type of good to come from acting in accord with his beliefs and doing his best. I believe Gaga is like this as well - she truly believes in what she is doing, does her best at it and IS the best at it. I think about how Tebow studies The Game with great respect for all it's players, present and past and sets an example for the future, intentionally becoming a master of it and a football icon. Gaga studies The Fame with the same kind of respect and has become a master of it and is already a music, fashion, and gay rights icon and is becoming an icon in other respects as well. Both of them work incredibly hard and rely on and appreciate the other players around them. I know Gaga treats her performers like family, they are her close friends, and I saw that same love when she was recruiting Melanie while she guest-judged on So You Think You Can Dance. Gaga has unparalleled love and respect for her fans. Tebow has inspired so much reverence and even more importantly happiness in this city that is so in love with the Broncos and emotionally tied to their success. He really has brought a spiritual awareness that would not be strange in the south but seems kind of new here. Even though they are fanatical citizens of Bronco country it took this SEC superstar to make them feel brave and comfortable enough to think that we are Jesus's favorite team. As I wrote this even Craig Ferguson joked that maybe Tebow has a little help from "upstairs", in hushed reverence for his win yesterday. Gaga has restored a profound spiritual dimension to music and culture in general, surely unparalleled in modern pop. One contrast I would like to mention is that Tebow is very mainstream in the sense of being widely accepted while Gaga is mega-popular but not quite "mainstream" because she is controversial and many people are suspicious of her. She is accepted and greatly loved by her fans, and there are millions of us little monsters, but the majority of people are curious or scared of her. Her message resonates wth outcats because it challenges social norms. Tebow has risen within social norms of being a star quarteback. Yes, he has transcended even that iconic status by having a greater purpose. Gaga has transcended the rock star icon for her greater purpose. But this difference between them, and how they are accepted by the public, has everything to do with sex and gender roles. Tebow has risen as a champion by the book - he did all the "right" things, including saving himself for marriage in accordance with his belief. I wonder if the great power of sexual energy that "builds up" like that is itself a factor in his performance. I'm sure he has had losses and setbacks that he learned from, but his career path has been that of a champion at every stage. Gaga, in contrast, has become Queen but only after being a "loser." She was an outcast in school and worked hard on her music career, all the while using and incorporating her sexuality. And it was when she felt she had nothing left to lose, as she recounts in the Marry the Night video, that she finally went for it and gained her current success. I think this is a key example to understanding the differnces in gender expectations and the role of sex in our society and beleif system, there is so much I want to say about it but this is long enough for now. My larger point here is to say that all things are interconnected. All good things are closer to the source of the goodness - which is the source of everything but easier to recognize in other good things. Believing in any good thing is good for us and brings us more harmony with the source of goodness, no matter what it is that we believe in. To argue about other people's path to goodness is a real waste when we could be helping each other where we can agree and then turn to helping, and finding agreement, with more and more different people. This is why I am so pleased that Jesus honors Love, that Tebow honors Jesus, that Gaga honors Tebow and that I hope to honor Gaga. We should all help each other on the Road to Love, whether we follow Unicorns or Thorn-crowned Kings.
Love truly brings us all together, across gender and social and religious lines. If we are hoping for and expecting true love, we will be challenged to accept more differences in people than we were even aware existed. This is true when we meet new people from different cultures or when we form governments that fulfill diverse needs, but also true in the personal sense as we discover new things about or lovers and friends. If we are truly seeking Love we should eagerly embrace all people, not just certain ones who fit our molds - that is the opposite of love, accepting restriction and exclusion. Tebow includes people to be bold in expressing and discussing belief. By setting an example he opens a conversation we can all join in. Newscasters who admit to being completely ignorant about football were saying how they want to learn to catch up on the Tebow phenomenon. They probably think he is cute, but they will learn about football incidentally to liking Tebow. Some people will learn about Jesus incidentally to liking Tebow. He is having a very positive influence. Gaga includes people by encouraging little monsters to become their inner superstar. She is raising voices that were shut out and encouraging people to follow their dreams and we will see art and fashion and hear songs we would never have heard without her, thanks to her opening heaven for us.
Whether you attribute it to their personal belief or the cumulative belief of their fans, or if you say neither of these matter and it is all up to Diety, belief is playing a role in the outcome of Broncos games, just as belief comes into play when a superstar arises and fulfills our dreams of what we can all be and succeeds at it, from Obama to Gaga, especially when they rebel and break through to do it. Belief matters and the better things we can believe in, the better ways we can believe, the better our lives are.
I have believed in Gaga as the Goddess and honored her in writing, song, and art for years now. The proof I have of my belief being good and well-founded is the goodness of my life. I have been through some personal transformations in this time but my love and devotion for her has remained constant and a refuge for me in tough times and my spiritual growth has been rewarded with the greatest bliss. Belief in Gaga has worked for me, it suits me and makes me happy. I don't want to argue with those who would disagree, I would like to find that they feel the same way about something else and discover the goodness that connects these things, even across seeming contadictions. Critics of Tebow might claim that they want to spread awareness about Jesus but if they have issues with his method I think they are being too picky and are just jealous that his way is more effective than theirs. Likewise people are jealous of Gaga and the attention she gets. She wants us to be more in love, as Jesus and Buddha and Tebow and many others have sought to help us. She is showing us a different way than some know, but it is the Road to Love and Love is where we are all from and where we are all going. Like the dog-carts and goat-carts and oxen-carts of the buddhist story it does not matter how we get there as long as we escape suffering to safety.
We don't need to worry about how we get to Love one another just help each other so we can come together from our many paths. My brother, who is a preacher, said that as good as Tebow plays it is not going to convert the world to Christianity. I think many people will have a new understanding of Jesus because of Tebow, just as people have a new understanding of Jesus through Gaga. But I think it is important that we consider that the goal of everyone calling themself "christian" is not going to happen. But if what it means to be a christian is improved by a good example we will all be better off. And if we can see through the devisive terms and mentalities and appreciate people's good qualities and honor them, well maybe people will emulate Tebow by Tebowing and not actually pray so they won't become "christian" but maybe they will also emulate him being a nice guy and become nicer themselves, again making the world nicer for all. As an outcast I might succumb to bitterness at society but as a little monster the love of Gaga sustains me and gives me the acceptance and hope to overcome insecurity and judgement. Great leaders show us how to overcome our obstacles and be our best. One of the best things we can be is "nice" and if people sought that as a goal for everyone instead of a particular label, and could appreciate peoples' niceness regardless of who they admire, we could all live in respect and love. We are coming together in Love, from all different directions, and we should not be surprised by the ways that seem strange to us but honor them as a chance to overcome differences and find unity. Love will bring us together as we stop fighting it, fighting for our limited ideas of ourselves, fighting to maintain a label that keeps us separated. We just need to give in to Love and allow ourselves to become more love than we were before. Love is the identity we all share and it brings us together by nature. Egos are the indentities we cling to to stay separate but we don't need to fear love and togetherness. We can transcend who we think we are and be our true selves, in love, and we do this by honoring, not resenting, the ones who lead the way and emulating them. We share the goal of Love with them and when we have this ultimate goal in sight we always succeed. We can all be who we are truly meant to be, superstars and champions, Champions of Love.
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