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Selfish Desires

Selfish Desires

The star player sat in the locker room with his heavy heart pulling his head down facing the floor, thinking about what he did to his team.  They lost the crucial game that would have put them into the playoffs.
The reporters surrounded him looking for an explanation.  As he was choking on his words, the long awaited truth finally came out.
“We lost the game because our greed, meaning my agent’s and mine.  Even though we had to be under the salary cap, we still demanded to be paid more than our share; therefore, the team couldn’t afford to get better athletes because of our greed.  It takes all players on a team to be working together; not to be thinking of only themselves individually.  I’ve been struggling with my conscience ever since I signed that huge contract.
All I want is a sigh of contentment, the resting place of my soul, where the need for more to satisfy my desires subsides and forms a peaceful resolution; what I have is all I want.  If I can’t feel that peace, my restless soul will search for a superficial peace that depends on an external stimulus to satisfy my craving; a never ending pursuit of wealth that more and more becomes a stranger to my forsaken heart.”
At last, the star player finally got it off his chest.  Now he was relieved after telling the truth.  Much to the disapproval of his agent, they restructured his contract for a lesser salary so they could be free to hire better players around him.  Even with that, he and his family could still afford to live a good life.  
The whole professional sports world was shaken, but at least players and management could work together.  The next year, his team won the Super Bowl.
Now when he says we work together as a team, he really means it.  It takes a lot of courage for someone to step up and tell the truth.  There is no true wealth beyond a man’s need.

From my book entitled, "A Sage's Diary."

Other works by Robert L. Martin...



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