Oakville, Ontario
In the Boxing Ring with Maya
When someone uses the word “boxing,” as in Boxing Day, it refers to the day after Christmas when shoppers go bananas over deals on sale. But in the more popular context, it’s a sport. I did a little research on the aggressive punching history of boxing.
The Egyptians were at the game about 3000 B.C. Greeks and Romans took it up. Boxing appears in the Greek epic “The Iliad.” Commonly, leather straps were tied around the wrist to the knuckle. Romans added metal strapping. In about 400 AD, the game was abolished by Romans for it being too brutal.
Europeans took it up in the 1600’s and some boxing schools opened up in the 1700’s. in the 1800’s it began to appear in America, and Theodore Roosevelt somewhat popularized it and involved himself in it to keep fit and in shape. The sport reached professional levels, generating oodles of money and making Joe Frazier, Joe Louis, and Mohammad Ali famous.
How does boxing fit into our lives? Well, most recently I gave some Zoom talks on the subject with a few communities – Toronto, Barrie and Scarborough – on how it is necessary, figuratively, to put up your dukes (slang for hands) against the opponent Maya, our illusion and temptation. In one sense, even the gentle seekers of truth require to take a defensive stance and battle with our subtle demons within.
We are all hearing about fighting viruses these days. The meanest of all viruses is our own selfishness. It is realistic to admit that that is our real enemy. So how about we put up a good defense in pro- and re-activeness. Put on your boxing gloves and knock Maya down.
May the Source be with you!
2 km
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