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If you haven't seen the movie "Miracle," watch it. The true story of victory over impossible odds through discipline, cooperation and unrelenting spirit provides one of the most instructive and inspiring renditions in cinematic history.
As much as I adore the film, one dark spot in the story always irked me. Goalie Steve Janaszak had been named MVP in 1979 after leading the Minnesota Golden Gophers to an NCAA championship. Nonetheless, he spent the entire 1980 Olympic Games warming the bench. From the opening game until Team USA won the gold medal, Janaszak's own college coach, Herb Brooks, allowed him not one minute on the ice.
How painful it must have been to stand alongside his teammates at the medal ceremony at Lake Placid, having contributed nothing to their extraordinary Olympic performance. When asked in 2015 about his limited role, Janny had this to say:
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done. When you're a player, you're wired to play. Herb was actually very clear that he was going to play Jimmy (Craig) through the whole thing. He was up front with me about that, and I respect that. I just did what I could do to try and stay out of the way."
On further reflection, Janny really did play an essential role: helping his teammates train through the eight months leading to their dramatic upset victory. Indeed, it was against his goaltending that the players on the ice honed the skills that enabled them to prevail over the undefeated Soviet team. In this light, Steve Janaszak serves as a classic example of critical support behind the scenes.
But there's more. Much more. The rest of Janny's story inspires this week's entry into the Ethical Lexicon:
Eudemonic (eu*de*mon*ic/ yoo-di-mon-ik) adjective
Pertaining or conducive to happiness that derives from human flourishing, prosperity or living a virtuous life.
Our culture has conditioned us to believe that happiness is hedonic — pleasure-based. However, astute social observers recognize that, as often than not, pleasure merely distracts us from being unhappy. The moment pleasure ends, the illusion of happiness ends with it.
Authentic, enduring joy emerges from the aspirational quest for meaning and purpose. Hedonism is the pursuit of happiness. Eudemonism is the happiness of pursuit. It is the quality of life, not the intensity of pleasure, that makes us happy.
The word eudemonic derives from the Greek, a construct of the prefix meaning "good" and the word demon, meaning a lesser god or guiding spirit, which is curious. How does true happiness have anything in common with the demonic?
The answer is obvious once we see it.
There is no more intense elation than the joy of the unexpected. Nothing feels more exhilarating than the serendipity of discovering beauty amidst ugliness, of hope dispelling the darkness of despair, of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The radical, unpredicted reversal of fortune brightens our eyes and swells our hearts immeasurably more than any visceral indulgence.
Which is exactly the story of Steve Janaszak.
In between games at Lake Placid, Janny made the acquaintance of Jaclyn Minichello, a hostess working as an interpreter in the Olympic Village. He bought her a cup of coffee. A year later, they were married.
"So I'm the luckiest guy on the team," Janny says four decades later. "I had the greatest moment in sports in the 20th century, and I met my wife during the experience."
Of course, he would rather have played on Olympic ice. But he won something far more enduring. Moreover, wouldn't his frustration sitting on the bench have intensified the joy of meeting his wife exponentially?
Aristotle rejected the utilitarian conflation of pleasure and happiness. If that were true, he observed, animals and slaves could also be happy. Rather, the realization of one's own potential by overcoming the demons of struggle and suffering — it is from here that human flourishing and eudemonic wellbeing flow forth.
So don't merely face your demons. Instead, welcome them. The challenges they place before you make possible the victories that bring true joy and make life worth living.
Rabbi Yonason Goldson graduated from the University of California at Davis with a degree in English, which he put to good use by setting off hitchhiking cross-country and backpacking across Europe. He eventually arrived in Israel where he connected with his Jewish roots and spent the next nine years studying Torah, completing his rabbinic training as part of Ohr Somayach's first ordination program. After teaching yeshiva high school for 23 years in Budapest, Hungary, Atlanta, Georgia, and St. Louis, Missouri, Rabbi Goldson established himself as a professional speaker and advisor, working with business leaders to create a company culture built on ethics and trust. He has published seven books and given two TEDx Talks, is an award-winning host of two podcasts, and writes a weekly column for Fast Company Magazine. He also serves as scholar-in-residence for congregations around the country.
Previously:
• What Do Opposites Attract? Truth and Wisdom
• Groucho Marx and Embracing Tension
• Toward a more civil civilization
• Break Down Barriers of Thought to Build Towers of Innovation
• 'Tis the Season for Reflecting Beyond your Reflection
• Why Antisemitism Is Not Just a Jewish Problem
• The rank stupidity of 'Just let it go'
• To create a functioning, biblically-based civilization
• The difference between optimism and hope
• The Next Piece of the Puzzle Might Fill the Hole in Your Heart
• Self-Esteem Isn't Given -- It's Earned
• Remember the Past to Promote a Successful Future
• Are We Making Failure the Price of Success?
• Demoralization Is More About Culture than Feelings
• The Lesson We're Missing From the Death of Charlie Kirk
• Invest in Your Own Success by Building Up Others
• The Most Valiant Heroes Fight on a Different Battlefield
• How Pundits Came to Give Punditry a Bad Name
• The Wisdom of Knowing What You Don't Know
• Success Thrives in the Light of Purpose and Passion
• When Seeking Peace, Don't Release the Dogs of War
• Greta Thunberg Sails Toward Moral Hypocrisy
• Checking More Boxes Is Not the Solution
• Why Sometimes NOT Seeing Is MORE Believing
• A Healthy Diet for the Brain Promotes Ethical Clarity for the Mind
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