Oh, the Emptiness!

I can always tell if the local college team is losing badly.  Traffic.  The roads are full while the game is still in progress.  The stands are practically empty, but the team has to play on and keep trying as it faces certain defeat.  Do the fans love their team? No.  They came to be entertained with victory.  It is different with a parent who loves their child.  The parent attends the contest.  The child is inept, makes mistakes, is lost out there, losing badly.  Does the parent go home and leave the child to stumble along alone?  No.  Why?  Love.  The parent is bonded to the child in relationship.  The child is not there to entertain the parent or allow the parent's ego to bask in the child's victory.  Child and parent might suffer together.  The parent is there to encourage, support.  A sport is called a "game."  Children "play sports."  So when someone says that they love the team, I ask, "Did you stay till the end the last time they were losing badly?"  How many stayed at the foot of the cross till the end?  A few.  Those who loved stayed.  Those who wanted victory, now, left.  They left too soon.  My local college team will be fine in time.  They just have to bear a cross for a while.  I'd be sad if people dumped me the moment I made mistakes.