Sometimes I wonder if we just become softies as we age.
Okay, I’ll speak for myself.
Sometimes I wonder if I’m becoming a softie because my edge is wearing off. Things that never made me cry before can now open the floodgates. Things that used to rattle me no longer carry the same power. I also find myself learning from people and places I once couldn’t—or maybe simply refused to.
I can cry with someone I never knew, whose story we only learn after tragedy strikes. I can empathize with a passionate, hurting person even when I don’t share their perspective. I can put aside differences to care for—and even learn from—the unexpected.
Maybe it’s not about getting older.
Maybe it’s about getting wiser.
Each of these is valuable, especially when we acknowledge the wisdom in loving our neighbor, refraining from judgment, and being generous with honor and respect. And yet, I think of how many relationships and rivalries exist where we intentionally withhold those very things. We forgo wisdom, somehow convincing ourselves that withholding honor and respect is a good idea.
Think of the distinct sides for which at least someone justifies withholding respect…
Adams vs. Jefferson
Hamilton vs. Burr
India vs. Pakistan
Yankees vs. Red Sox
Real Madrid vs. Barcelona
Adidas vs. Puma
Hatfield vs. McCoy
Churchill vs. Chamberlain
Jobs vs. Gates
Michigan vs. Ohio State
And sometimes, when rivalries become so fierce and passions run so high, we forget something simple: rooting for the opposite side doesn’t make someone a bad person. Different interests, experiences, and upbringings lead people to choose different sides. That doesn’t make them wrong. And it certainly doesn’t mean our side holds a monopoly on virtue.
Speaking of that list, few rivalries are as ferocious as those in college athletics.
As is no secret, this semi-humble blogger is a loyal Purdue alum. I don apparel year-round, know when Drew Brees’s birthday is, and never miss a basketball game. And as a Purdue fan, let me be clear: we never root for Indiana. I do mean never.
Two nights ago, the Indiana Hoosiers played in the College Football Playoff National Championship. Before this season, IU football was widely considered the most losing program in NCAA Division I history—holding the record for most losses ever, over 700. And yet, there they were: undefeated, with all eyes on them.
It was a great game—competitive till the end—with Indiana victorious. Head coach Curt Cignetti took a program known mostly for its futility and turned it into a champion. Quarterback Fernando Mendoza—the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner—was humble, kind, and endlessly complimentary of both his teammates and opponents.
In years past, I would have grimaced at the mere thought of Indiana having even a chance to win. I would have sat on the edge of my couch, passionately rooting against them. I do not like Indiana. Under no circumstances does a Purdue fan cheer for IU.
But on Monday night, something was different. Here we were, cheering, “Go IU, go!”
What a story. What a season. And what an achievement. Congrats, Indiana.
I guess I am a bit of a softie now.
A little wiser, too.
Respectfully,
AR