Mike Tyson & Self-Reflection

Yes, Elizabeth Warren was on "The View" today, which is certainly worth writing about.  However, Mike Tyson was also on the show and what he had to say really resonated within me.  I don't know much about Mike Tyson, except that he is a fighter and wrote his autobiography that is on my TBR (to-be-read) list.  Oh and that one of my former college professors happened to be one of Tyson's teachers when he was in his youth.

I don't remember the professor's name at the community college I attended at the time and can't recall what course I took that she instructed.  I know it was in 1998 and the course had to do with educating children.  Anyways, what she told us one day in class stuck with me and to this day, is still in my memory.  The topic of the class that day had to deal with diversity and strategies one can implement to engage children who, for lack of a better phrase, resisted the learning experience.  The professor began telling us a story about a student and it went a little something like this (if my memory serves me correctly):  The student had simply shut-down.  The teacher had tried many methods to engage the student, spoke calmly to him...tried opening up herself first, in hopes the young man would do the same...nothing seemed to work.  The student had so much anger built up inside and would just explode when confronted with situations that caused frustration or a sense of failure.  The student was Mike Tyson.  And the professor concluded with saying that of all the children she worked with--all kinds of children from all kinds of backgrounds in New York--he was the only one that left her feeling compelled to surrender her optimistic outlook.  She told us that when it came to Mike Tyson, reform would most likely never happen.  I remember sitting there, completely engrossed in her lesson that day.  I drove home with the story stuck in my head.  And here I am, sixteen years later, remembering the conversation that day.  

As a teacher, I can tell you firsthand that we are taught to believe that every child has a chance to succeed.  Every child has a promising future, somehow, someway.  No matter how abused, damaged, or lost, teachers are the ones who reach out and try to be that one voice--that one helping hand--that changes life for the unfortunate, mistreated, and downtrodden.  I went forward in my secondary education and began my career keeping that story in the back of my mind.  So, when I saw Tyson on "The View" today, I was extremely interested in what he had to say.

When Nicole Wallace asked him about his life, if he feels it has "come full-circle"--his response seemed genuine.  Tyson said, "What I realize….when we entertain…it’s really hard to become mature at that time…it comes with getting to know who you are…becoming more mature."  And when Whoopi inquired about his sobriety, he said he was staying clean and sober, "Kickin butt right now...dark energy’s going to come knocking on the door…with all my training, hopefully I’m prepared… I’m very grateful."  I wasn't aware of Tyson's struggle with addiction, or alcoholism, but know that anyone who overcomes a challenge like that deserves great applause.  And a hug.  I definitely need to read his autobiography, so that the secondhand story I know can be replaced with firsthand Tyson's account.  He seemed friendly and kind.  And again, his presence seemed sincere and genuine.  

When asked about where he is at in life now, he said, "All my success comes from my failures...losing my daughter….having emotional quagmires with life in general…I’m just happy at this moment…I’m doing really well right now."  Tyson admitted his dark past, spoke of his scars, and walked off the stage of the set having done a great interview as far as I'm concerned.  He's hooked my interest and left me wanting to know more.  Tyson, or people who, like him, spent much of their early years in a dark place, can walk through this world with a sense of pride knowing that they came far.  To step into a world of fame, success, and prestige is impressive, but to do so when you've risen out of poverty, abuse, or adversity trumps those who simply had opportunities handed to them.

I'm glad that "The View" had him on the show.  I'm starting to see just how much I enjoy the show more and more with every episode I watch.  And as for Tyson, I would tell him to keep at it.  Life has a lot more still to offer him, although he's done a great job handling all that has been thrown at him thus far.