There's something reassuring about Serena Williams and Roger Federer having won at Wimbledon this weekend. Familiar people, masters of a sport they love and winning at the game on their own.
Rarely in public life do we watch individuals succeed through their own talents and hard work. Think, in contrast, of the presidential election: so much of the outcome depends on fundraising and not on the merits of the candidates. In fact, our entire political system--including the Supreme Court--is driven by moneyed interests and the influence they wield. An individual's talents and hard work get lost in the quest for gold.
Other aspects of public life, too--from health care to the food and water supply to the economy itself--often depend less on the integrity of the individuals involved than on the corporate interests that drive decisions. We can't reliably trust the medications we take, the procedures we undergo, the food we eat, and the water we drink. Sounds like a third world country.
Maybe that's why we yearn for Wimbledon, a reminder of a more ordered world where personal accomplishment and individual skill actually matter. Were it so in the rest of our lives.
Tennis, anyone?
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