Dr. BJ Condrey

MySpace: Yep, this is a fun blog. For Gen Xers that remember, MySpace preceded Facebook but was eventually crushed by it. Here is what I read today which I could not believe: “In Facebook’s early years, Myspace actually had the opportunity to buy Facebook for $75 million, but they turned Mark Zuckerberg down. Whoops!” (Brozyna)

Shaq on Life: I am a sports fan and like to browse headlines in several different sports. At any given time, I will go to YouTube to watch NBA, NFL, Tennis, or Soccer highlights. Yesterday, I saw an article posted by Fox News about Shaq. For a little context, I was an avid NBA fan in the 90s. I was in High School, quit every sport to focus on basketball, and dreamed of playing in the NBA one day. Of course, that didn’t happen. But about the time that Jordan was fading, Kobe and Shaq were on the rise. They ended up winning several titles with the Lakers. Also, Shaq is an NBA analyst for TNT along with Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

Yesterday I saw this article: “Shaq offers words of wisdom on social media about getting older.” It is short and well worth your time, especially if you are a man who is a husband and/or father. You find this quote in the beginning: “The older you get the more you realize how precious life is. You have no desire for drama, conflict or stress. You just want good friends, a cozy home, food on the table, and people who make you happy.” He went on to say that he rejected the notion that he needed to act and live like a celebrity. He stated: “I denounced myself from being a celebrity 30 years ago because a lot of celebrities are a–holes. . . . I don’t want to be in that category. I’d rather demote myself to being just a regular person before you call me a celebrity and put me in the category of those jerk–s.” Again, you get the feeling that you are talking to a humble, down-to-earth person who, at the end of the day, really wants what most of us want.

He then speaks about his family and two failed marriages. “I had two perfect women and I messed it up. . . . My first one was my baby mother, Arnetta, and then I met Shaunie. Shaunie was also a perfect woman, and I messed it up.” Again, more humility. Confession. While no perfect person exists and this is a bit of an exaggeration in an effort to own his mistakes, it does make one thing clear: he knows where he messed up, is not afraid to admit it, and is honest that it cost him.” He goes on to say that both have forgiven him. Personally, I like the mention of forgiveness and that he valued someone’s act of forgiving him enough to mention it. We all need forgiveness. I am curious if faith played a role in his transformation.

Last but not least, he talked about his sons. O’neal states: “I tell my sons all the time, a man has three jobs when it comes to a woman. Protect, provide, and love. Some men can only offer two, for whatever reason, but I’ma teach you how to offer all three. And that’s what I try to do…” Fatherhood matters. It still matters. It will always matter.

I think that the reason this really stood out to me was the down-to-earth message and tone, the humility, the reference to forgiveness, and the courage he has to reflect and admit where he went wrong.