Spoiler (a spelling recently recognised and accepted by the RAE): in this column, you won’t find Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, or Ewan McGregor going through hardships, as in the film of the same name by Juan Antonio Bayona.
I don’t know about you, but I have a certain tendency to pursue goals that many would consider absurd. Even as a kid, many years before embarking on the study that led to my participation in Pasapalabra, undoubtedly the biggest leap of faith I’ve taken in my life, I decided to go through the first encyclopaedic dictionary that landed in my house, thanks to my parents’ effort and money (the Durvan, in twelve wonderful volumes) to extract all the definitions related to fauna and copy them into a separate notebook. My goal: to create an animal dictionary, from A to Z, and have them all in one place. Needless to say, I didn’t get past D after putting in a good number of hours, and this futile project ended up stalling, like my attempt to systematise and compile all the historical results of the Olympic Games, or to compile all the agricultural and mining production data of all the countries in the world… As you can see, I was willing to do almost anything that took time to avoid studying…
Those early and small frustrated dreams were good training for what life would later have in store for me. Although I can’t complain at all about what I’ve achieved, and it would be very ungrateful if I did, dreams rarely come true, and you have to face with courage that moment when you realise you’ll never be the striker, guitarist, artist, doctor, singer, scientist, screenwriter, or writer you dreamed of, as all of these require a talent that is, unfortunately, foreign to us. No matter how much Paulo Coelho and other self-help charlatans insist, merely wishing for something very strongly is not enough to obtain it. But we can pragmatically accept this fact and continue pursuing dreams and goals. I once heard Antonio Muñoz Molina say the following phrase: “Only attempting impossible tasks is worthwhile.” There’s nothing more impossible than mapping the ungraspable, explaining the world, a task he faces daily, coming out very well as a writer.
No matter how much Paulo Coelho and other self-help charlatans insist, merely wishing for something very strongly is not enough to obtain it
Let’s move on to golf: this sport, due to its history and demands, is full of extraordinary records that withstand (and will withstand) the test of time: the record for victories in a season (18) by Byron Nelson, the consecutive weeks at the top of the world ranking by Tiger Woods (281 and 264, in two different periods), the 18 majors of Jack Nicklaus, the 50 victories on the European Tour/DP World Tour by Seve Ballesteros… I could continue with a good list of tremendous statistics, but I think you get the idea. Professional golfers face the impossible every day, but let’s not be dazzled by the glitter of dislocated figures: the impossible is not only the historical record but making a living by practising a profession to which they have dedicated their lives, and continuing to do so, despite the ups and downs, year after year. The impossible is to tackle seemingly more modest goals that involve breaking ceilings or overcoming barriers, especially in the women’s field (worse treated in terms of remuneration and prizes). The impossible is to do it without ever faltering, without giving up, without doubting, without hesitating when setbacks come. The possible, for us, who watch from the sidelines, is to recognise those efforts, applaud them, consider them, value them… even if they are far from appearing in the books of honour or being engraved in some record.
The impossible is not only the historical record but making a living by practising a profession to which they have dedicated their lives, and continuing to do so, despite the ups and downs, year after year
“I have only one life, and in it, I only have one chance to do what I want. I have enough happiness to make it sweet, difficulties to make it strong, sadness to make it human, and enough hope to be happy,” said Clarice Lispector, the wonderful Brazilian writer. Surely all professional golfers see themselves reflected in these words.
