Gray Ghost Speaks Out to the College Football Community

No man is an island unto himself.

Yes, there are times when the human spirit reaches deep within itself and gives us the wherewithal to do something so singular and remarkable that all of the world sits up and takes notice. The names of the honored can be found written in our books of history, and their deeds are rehearsed in the revered tones reserved for legends.

For most of us, that occasion to set ourselves apart from the masses that surround us never happens. We are the Everyday Joe’s of the world. We go about our business day-in and day-out. Our names will never make the history books, and no one will ever speak of us in tones of reverence.

The sum total of who we are is the little bits and pieces of those who have crossed our path and invested themselves in us. Life is like a continuous assembly line, and we are actually being built as we live. We add to each other. We are completing each other. We need each other.

Our true value is not found in serving self, but in serving others who walk this same journey that we call life. When we die, part of us remains in those we have touched. It is called influence. When we invest ourselves in another, we add to who they become.

None of us have a neutral effect on those we truly come in contact with. We either add to who they are, or we subtract.

And so, while our deeds may not become legend, and our names will probably never be known outside of our smallish circle of life, we do make a difference. I would rather have my name stamped upon the hearts of my friends that have granted me the privilege to influence them, than to have it etched in a lifeless book that collects dust on a shelf.

That is why I write this article. I write it to my friends here in this College Football Community.

Though I have never spoken with you face to face, I have felt your pulse as you put your heart into your words. We have laughed together. We have argued our points, and then shook our heads that we still disagreed on the rankings. We have confronted each other, and we have defended each other. We have even cried together. That’s what friends do.

As you know, Bleacher Report announced a contest within our College Football Community that was both ambitious and attractive. It changed the dynamics that existed within our close-knit group.

While Picks of the Day are intangible, a trip to the big dance in Miami is not. Real competition was something that we had not dealt with before, and newness always has its kinks that must be worked out.

I will not rehash the controversy that we are all too familiar with by now. Lisa Horne’s article opened the shades so that we could all see the “floaties” that were in the room. I, for one, am grateful that she was willing to say out loud what some were whispering. Issues that are not discussed can never be resolved. She did us well.

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