Getting past what's in it for me

One of my favorite movies is “Field of Dreams,” in which Kevin Costner turns his Iowa cornfield into a baseball field when a voice tell him, “If you build it, he will come.” After he creates his immaculate ball field, players who have long since passed away begin gathering to relive their baseball dreams.

The first player to show up is Ray Kinsella’s (Kevin Costner’s character) father’s baseball hero, Shoeless Joe Jackson. It is Jackson for whom Kinsella believes he was inspired to provide the diamond in the middle of lush farmland.

There’s a scene towards the end of the movie in which Kinsella has an exchange with Shoeless Joe as he is leaving the field, which the old-time players do through the corn that rims the outfield. Jackson asks writer Terrence Mann (played by James Earl Jones) if he’d like to go with the players and see what’s out there.

That bothers Kinsella, who was never invited into the corn, and he asks the question, “What’s in it for me?” Shoeless Joe’s response is “Is that why you did this—for you?” He then repeats the line that began it all, “If you build it, he will come,” with emphasis on the “HE” and our attention is drawn to a player who wasn’t headed to the cornfield but was standing near the backstop removing his catcher’s gear. It is Kinsella’s father, John, for whom Jackson inspired Kinsella to create the field in the first place.

I think of this scene when I find myself, all too often, asking that same question about something in my life. We all do it. “What’s in it for me?”

This week we remembered the amazing messages of Dr. Martin Luther King. So many of them speak to me in powerful ways. With politics and a new legislative session also in the spotlight right now, I’m drawn to one quote in particular, one that goes back to the question posed in the movie.

“Not everybody can be famous, but everybody can be great, because greatness is determined by service.”

We accomplish so much more when we turn our hearts and minds outward and focus on the needs of someone else rather than on ourselves. It’s not easy to do but imagine the change we could make in the world around us if we could find a way to do it more often.

Two other things, perhaps a little related…

I was heartened to hear at least some willingness to collaborate on issues important to New Mexico in the governor’s State of the State address and the Republican response. There is plenty for us to disagree about, but these days we usually start disagreeing without even thinking about a solution. We let our party affiliation dictate our position.

I wish great success to our elected leaders as they look for common ground over the next 30 days. Hoping there will be at least some productive conversation on critical concerns of public safety, infrastructure, healthcare and so much more.

And on a less serious note…

When I was in high school, I was fortunate to play on a very good soccer team. On multiple occasions, we got one or two wins away from section championships but lost out. One of those years, we lost on a penalty kick shootout at the end of a very long contest.

I’m still convinced we were the better team, and shots on goal from 12 yards out is a horrible way to end a playoff game. I’ve now decided someone needs to send us that trophy because we certainly deserved it. Who do I call?

Whatever your politics, can’t we all agree that the president of the United States whining about not receiving an award he thinks he deserves and actually believing he is now a Nobel Prize winner because the recipient gave him her medal is just a bit unpresidential?