Life in the ring

There are two sweaty guys together, both half-naked, with only a thin layer of silk boxers protecting them from absolute nakedness. The beaded jewels of perspiration glisten off their hard, muscular bodies, twinkling like seductive stars on a Milky Way of tight flesh. As one man approaches the other, their eyes entangle in a deep mix of excitement and desire. Finally, they start going at it, with appendages flying in a flurry of heated passion.\nMan, don't you just love boxing?\nIf you enjoy the sport as much as I do, you probably have heard about NBC's new blockbuster reality show, "The Contender." On the show, 16 athletes are led through an intense boxing challenge, where the winner of the show ultimately walks away with a $1 million prize. \nOne of the most recent episodes featured a dramatic duel between boxers Peter ManFredo Jr. and Miquel Espino. For the first half of the fight, Espino completely pulverized his opponent. It was like watching Vin Diesel fight that Dell computer guy. Though ManFredo was down and bloody, near failure, he somehow miraculously got up and mustered enough willpower to beat his opponent. \nThroughout history, our culture has grown up with inspirational stories of rising from defeat, of miraculous triumph over insurmountable odds. In Greek mythology, there is the story of the Phoenix, the bird that perished only to rise from its own ashes. In current politics, we have George W. Bush. Despite the fact that his intellect is about the size of a Monopoly thimble, he was able to become the president of the United States. Isn't that inspiring? \nEach story helps remind us -- against the punches that life can throw -- to keep up our dukes. Though there will inevitably be times when we are beat down, either physically or emotionally, it is important to stand up rather than admit TKO.\nRecently, in an interview with Mike Wallace, actress Hilary Swank said that prior to winning an Oscar for her work in "Boys Don't Cry," she was rejected repetitively by casting agents and was so broke she had to live in her car. Overcoming her own personal struggle, however, this year she won yet another golden statuette for "Million Dollar Baby." Coincidentally, it was an inspirational story about a young female boxer. Moral of the tale: You should be more like Hilary Swank. \nPeople are always grappling with possible failure, particularly in college. Students are failing classes, failing auditions, even failing in relationships. It's important to remember, however, that failure itself is important. Because before we can succeed in anything, we must first fall -- except for tightrope walking ... and bungee jumping. But other than that, failure serves as a crucial stepping stone for success. \nJust look at the biblical story of Jesus Christ. When he died, did he say, "Oh, well I guess I'll just go to heaven now and catch up on my reading." No! He put on the boxing gloves, got jiggy with his resurrection and became king of the Western world. Just think about how much different the world would be had he decided not to resurrect. Churches and Cadbury Eggs would not exist.\nIt is important to remember, when fearing failure, that someone, whether a friend, a family member or faith, help is always there. Someone will always there to catch you. (WARNING: The aforementioned advice is purely metaphorical. The Indiana Daily Student is not responsible for any injury involving the act of falling).\nLet this column serve as a reminder: Don't take failure lying down on the mat. Stand up, put on the gloves and come out swinging. Give that half-naked opponent a fist he'll never forget.