The Power of Positive Thinking

I recently finished reading Living Out Loud: Sports, Cancer and the Things Worth Fighting For by Craig Sager. Memoirs are not my favorite genre, but Craig was a high school classmate so I wanted to read his book.

Craig was fairly well-known in the sports world as a "sidelines" reporter always wearing outlandish, colorful sports coats and ties. He was a great interviewer, and above all, he was persistent. He often succeeded in getting the interview that others couldn't. He lived an out-sized life, taking risks, spending lavishly on some things. In short, living out loud.

In his early sixties, Craig was diagnosed with a lethal form of leukemia and waged an epic battle for several years to "beat" the loathsome disease and extend his life. Doing battle and not letting enemy cancer beat him was part of Craig's nature. He was also strongly motivated by the desire to see his young children mature. Craig defied the odds several times during his battle with cancer, but ultimately, the Emperor of Maladies defeated him.

Throughout the book, Craig advocated the value of being determined and optimistic -- the importance of having the will to beat cancer. Much of what he said and did was very admirable, but I also found myself having some politically incorrect reactions as well. Not everyone has the strength or the resources to fight like Craig did. Some people get worn out and just want to end the battle, for themselves and for their families. Are they less admirable? Are they cowards?

I remember an uncomfortable moment in church many years ago (one of those moments that eventually drove me away). A couple was giving "testimony" about the power of prayer. Their unborn child had been diagnosed with spinal bifida and the prognosis was grim. But rather than aborting, as their doctor recommended, they decided to continue the pregnancy and pray. Lo and behold, their baby was born with much milder than predicted medical issues. The moral of the story being abortion is bad and prayer saves the day.

I was horrified on many levels. Most importantly, I felt profoundly sympathetic for any parents sitting in the congregation whose pregnancies had resulted in children with disabilities of any kind. What were they to think?  That they just hadn't prayed enough? Sometimes life deals you a rotten hand. You can try to think positively and make lemonade from lemons, but sometimes things are simply rotten and unfair.

Thirteen years ago, my husband had a coronary episode. He was (and is) an extremely fit man -- a marathon runner at the time. He ate a very healthy diet, drank very sparingly, and had never smoked. Basically, did everything right and yet, he ended up with major blockage and three stents in his coronary arteries. Living well could only go so far in the face of a bad genetic hand. True, the damage was minimal because he led such a healthy life, but it still did and does feel very unfair. 

I'm not advocating that we stop trying to live well and battle the odds. I'm not advocating that we think negatively instead of positively. I'm not advocating replacing optimism with pessimism. But I am advocating realism and recognizing that life is simply not fair sometimes. And we shouldn't be too quick to judge those who haven't been as fortunate as we have.