Because It Is Bitter
In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his hear in his hands, And ate of it. I said, "Is it good friend?" "It is bitter—bitter," he answered; "But I like it "Because it is bitter, "And because it is my heart." —Stephen Crane During my childhood, years divided between Argentina and Spain, I possessed a personality trait that kept me from being able to fully enjoy fútbol . Throughout the rest of my life, my father would remind me of this fact. Bearing the heartache of the losing side was difficult for me, the human suffering on display at the end of games, or worse, tournaments. The pain of players, coaches, fans, so evident on their faces, body language, in their tears and sobs, became mine. The mirror neurons of children are not yet dulled and calloused by systems of oppress...