I was 26 years old, that magical 1985 - 1986 season for the Bears, and how I felt so enthralled that I still remember the feeling nearly 30 years later.
Imagine finding yourself in an aggravating, infuriating situation, for example, being cut off in traffic. You want to chase after that driver, run him down, and do a host of things to him that you imagine doing. But all that want simply stayed, of course, in the fiery hell of your imagination. It dissipates, and you move on. You keep driving, calmer with the short passing of time and clearing of traffic.
But does it really dissipate?
We could generate that aggravation or fury via sports, and find sanctioned opportunities, time and time again, to express it, release it, and recover a physical and psychological equilibrium. Working out in the gym could serve a similar purpose. But it couldn't beat playing sports, because it's a competition and you work at it against an opponent. Watching sports was also no pure satisfaction, but it was the second best thing to do. Unleash our aggression, albeit vicariously, in the safety and comfort of our living room.
The Bears vaunted 46 defense that season was the exception to it all. I didn't just feel release and calm from a big sack by Richard Dent, or a big hit by Otis Wilson, or a categorical shutdown of the opposing offense as we saw in those playoff games against the Giants, Rams and Patriots. I also felt joy, maybe ennoblement, even a perfect strength that seemed to change me physically. I remember leaping off my parent's Lazy Boy, and jumping so high I nearly punched a hole in the family room ceiling.
So as the 2013 - 2014 Bears defense increasingly looking like a college unit, especially after giving up 45 points to the Redskins yesterday, I go back to that unstoppable 46 defense.
Enjoy!
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
Ron Villejo, PhD
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