OBLIQUE OBSERVATIONS
By Atty. Gilberto Lauengco, J.D.
Being different is often frowned upon. When you are different you are often the butt of jokes and innuendos. There are however times when being different helps you achieve your goals. As long as you are willing to accept the social consequences of being different, then perhaps it is time to try this path.
There is a new self-proclaimed internet sensation in our country called Mr. Long Bomb. He calls himself the best three-point shooter in the land and claims that he was the inspiration for the four-point shot currently being implemented in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He has his own vlog where he apparently shows his prowess in several pick-up and amateur games. He is not your typical “athlete”. He does not appear to be fit. He really cannot move that fast. He does have a decent three-point shot which he knows how to highlight. Some people find him arrogant and boastful. Still, a lot of people seem fascinated by him and follow his exploits. Some find him amusing. Many simply just want to bash him. Recently, he joined a new professional league where his performance on the court has been anything but stellar. Despite his attitude and actual accomplishments, he is gaining quite a following. His followers are mostly of the negative bashing kind but he does not care. The more people bash him the more he earns.
In the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States, the general manager of the NBA team Dallas Mavericks has been propelled to national and international prominence because he did the unthinkable or something no other NBA team manager would do. Dallas GM Nico Harrison traded the team’s 25-year-old star player Luka Doncic to LA Lakers in what is said to be one of the most stunning trades in NBA history. Many people criticized him but some experts think he may have had a good reason for what he did. Whatever you think of GM Nico, one thing is clear. He is quite different from all other GM’s. Time will tell if his gamble will benefit him and his team.
In politics, being different has helped many candidates reach the top. Apparently, many people are tired of the usual politicians who look the same and say the same things. Of course, the candidate can’t be too different as to alienate a majority of the voting populace. The path of being different in politics requires some acumen in the applicable math concepts. You need to calculate if your being different can attract enough people to your camp. Well, at the very least you need a sufficient number to offset the number of people who will surely hate you for being different.
Being different can be a difficult path in life in general but it can be a useful tool for certain instances.
This is my oblique observation.
