Ego(again), Movie Reviews

Ego is a simple three letter word that is used frequently through out any given day. It is used to describe people that are really all into themselves and then escalates to narcissism. I know, it sounds like a bad disease but really isn’t. I have talked about the misuse of ego before on this blog site but cannot recall everything I said so I was prompted to be reminded of this word again during the most recent inductee ceremonies of the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame, in Colorado Springs. In 2004 when I was serving as the interim executive director of USA Triathlon I suggested to the board that USAT should have their own Hall of Fame and it should be done in a very professional basis. Even though the board drug their feet and moved it to a useless committee they finally moved it into the responsibility of a person that could get it done, and he did do that in a very professional way, using the good side of his ego. So, in 2008 the Hall of Fame did become a reality and it has been my pleasure to attend the inductee cermonies on all three occasions. As I listen to the introductions of the inductees and then I listen to their acceptance speeches the three letter word “ego” comes to mind. Now you say, “hey wait a minute bub these guys and gals are the best of the best that the sport has to offer, in both the athletic and non-athletic side, so where are you coming from. Well first of all the word ego is not a bad word, it is simply defined by our old Webster as, “the self”, “the rational part of the mind that controls actions.” Now when you start throwing out, “egotism, egocentric, ego trip,” it becomes another animal. So, what I experienced on this Hall of Fame inductee night is a lot of ego but not on the negative side. It has always been my strong belief that a happy ego makes for a happy person, and a self driven person, for the better. On the opposite side I see ego’s out of control that bring in the egotism, egocentric, and ego trip nature of the type of people who give the word a bad name. Through out the acceptance speeches I heard the message of extreme pride in what they were doing and the inner drive to do what they were doing with a desire to do it to the best of their ability. There was never the feeling that they were doing it all for themselves but shared the feeling of thanks and appreciation for all those who helped them achieve their successes. It reminds me of the first time I was accused of having a big ego I ask the person who said it to illustrate my egotism. After this person finished I ask, “are you still driving your Lexus and do you still live in the trendy part of town with the finest furniture money can buy, and oops I forgot do your designer cloths still fit real, good, etc., etc.?” Of course I knew the answers to these innocent questions were all yes, I humbly mentioned that my vehicle of choice was a 5 year old SUV with over 100,000 miles on it, my place of residence at that time was in a nice neighborhood but certainly not trendy, etc. So, who had the big ego here? In my opinion neither of us did, it was just a case of pointing out what ego is versus egotism, in a realistic comparison, and my point was well taken. It is so much fun to watch a healthy ego achieve so much in life. As I watch my professional friends achieve so much with their healthy ego’s, that lead to extreme successes and beyond reproach job satisfaction, it motivates me to do the same. So, I always encourage people to recognize this part of our personalities and use it to our best advantage, it works but can get out of control.

Movie Reviews: “The Dilemma”, ***, Nick(played by Kevin James) and Ronny(Vince Vaughn) co-star as a happily-married man and his unmarried best friend, respectively. The title’s dilemma refers to Ronny seeing his buddy’s wife(Winona Ryder) out with another man. He cannot decide when and how to break the news to his friend. More entertaining than I would have imagined. Worth seeing! Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving sexual content.

“The Green Hornet”, ***, Another action hero movie that is entertaining and fun to watch. A lttle story to it but you will not be over burdened by that. Seth Rogen stars as Britt Reid, who inherits his murdered father’s media empire and forms a friendship with an inventive employee(Jay Chou). Since Britt had never done anything his entire life but party and drink(his father was extremely rich) he decided that after his father died(he did not know it was murder at the time, so some real drama does exist in this fairy tale story) he would become a local hero and fight crime. Along with him was his trusted side kick Chou who was gifted in designing and building vehicles with great arsenals and speed. Lots of action and the new good guys do get their man and reveal the truth. Rated PG-13 for sequences of violent action, language, sensuality and drug content.

“Country Strong”, ***, Soon after a rising young musician(played by Garrett Hedlund)becomes involved with an emotionally unstable country music star(Gwyneth Paltrow), the pair are forced to embark on her career-resurrecting tour, controlled by her husband/manager (Tim McGraw). Oh yes, he also has hired a beauty-queen turned singer(Leighton Meester) as the opening act. Typical country drama sense the star is now out of re-hab for the umpteenth time and now trying to over come her ghosts. Even though her last show was her best the demons win. Rated PG-13 for thematic elements involving alcohol abuse and some sexual content.

Enjoy SH, EA, and ...:)

greerman