The downhill journey over the past five years as a Jets fan is disconcerting. Thank God I am a primarily a Giants fan, though this year hasn’t been pretty either. In the NFL, many great coordinators often don’t make good head coaches and one could argue that this is definitely the case with Rex Ryan. The numbers compiled by Chase Stuart of Pro-Football-Reference.com don’t lie. The Jets suck. Hubris, pride, ego and arrogance seem to be a factor in the Jets issues. Ryan has been full of himself and was blinded by his love for Mark Sanchez for way too long. Organizational issues underlie their problems too but the head coach is the one ultimately responsible and Ryan has failed to deliver. If he is the best defensive coordinator in the league as he once boasted then what the f… is he doing as a head coach? I recently watched a Piers Morgan show with James Ray, the debased life coach and spiritual leader who was jailed for 20 months after three of his retreat guests died in a sweat lodge. He acknowledged arrogance and hubris as underlying issues that may have contributed to the tragedy. Sound familiar Rex? I have never seen Bill Belichick boast of anything and he is simply the best. It’s great to have a strong, dynamic personality and yet sometimes a little humility is good too! read more

Unfortunately, we are too often reminded of the sheer amount of violence that occurs daily in the world. Yesterday, I briefly watched a television show on the Science Channel about aliens. Several physicists suggested that if aliens had the warp drive technology to travel many light years to our planet then it was likely they would be friendly. They reasoned that a society that advanced would have long destroyed each other had they not grown beyond violence. I see ego as the need to dominate, manipulate, and use others. If all of us learn to observe and unhook from ego, then we are doing our part to make the planet a better place! read more