It's nearing summertime in the UK and with the balmy weather; comes the desire to hit the basketball court and pretend "I've still got it". A few weeks ago I went to the court and was nearly hustled out of a pound by a savvy eleven year old kid called Stan. He and his henchman, Tom, challenged me to a "first to three points" game. I thought it'd be a breeze but the pesky kids managed to secure a two point lead, albeit with fluky shots! In the end, it was my sheer brute strength that secured an incontestable victory.
So anyway, as the sunny spell continued, I frequented the court and got to know young Stan. Sometimes I'd see him playing against guys twice his height, other times we'd shoot some hoops but two things were apparently clear; he was always the youngest and keenest guy on the court. One day, we were chatting and I asked him why he doesn't play kids his own age? This is what he said.
Stan: Well I do...I played Tom earlier.
Me: How did it Go?
Stan: Well, I have been letting him win recently because he cries if he loses.
Me: Oh yeah?
Stan: Yeah, but he says he has some anger issues and conflicted emotions so I let him win so he doesn't feel worse.
I was stumped. This kid clearly was able to place himself in another human being’s shoes and make a decision to override his pride and ego. As the author, Mohsin Hamid says, “Empathy is about finding echoes of another person in yourself". I have to say, I was moved and impressed.
He challenged me to another game, and no; I didn't let him win!
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