Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Open: Biography of Andrea Agassi

Perhaps this is one of the best and most compelling books I have read in years. The fact of the matter is that Mr. Agassi honestly, even if people may say it is not enough, seems quite interesting and compelling to the reader.
Andre struggled to understand his mission in his life, it is really everyone's struggle, isn't it? even those with clear cut picture of what they would like to be and do in life.
His weakness and strength in his character along with love and hate for tennis is something that we all Iranians experience well when first we are pulled between what we love to do, what our parents force us to do. We have this tendency to follow our parents portrayed destiny, despite hating it from root. It is even ironic that we got everything ready and planned for the next generation! So, things continue!
I see him despite being born and raise in USA an unsteady character that starve for understanding and finding his way and this is what I have found in many Iranians and I suppose in non-Iranians as well.



I hate tennis but I still play tennis, and finally I become number one in the world, do I feel happy? telling the truth, I told reporters, it feels great, I finally achieved my goal!
but then wait, this was not my goal, it was everyone else's goal around me, then I realized I should set my own goal...

another paragraph reads after his fall from number 1 to number 144 in the world:
 
...and yet our best intentions are often thwarted by external forces- forces that we ourselves set in motion long ago. Decisions, especially bad ones, create their own kind of momentum, and momentum can be a bitch to stop, as every athlete knows. Even when we vow to change, even when we sorrow and atone for our mistakes, momentum of out past keeps carrying us down the wrong road. Momentum rules the world. Momentum says: hold on, not so fast, I am still running things here. As a friend likes to say, quoting an old Greek poem: the minds of the everlasting gods are not changed suddenly. 

I have this far read 65% of his book and quite impressed with his course of life.
to be Continued....

1 comment:

radius said...

I do like him a lot. Despite his big success, he kept his two feets on the ground. I could imagine he says: "Professional tennis, world champion ? Come on, it is just a game". I think he is a lucky man, because he remained a human being with many other interests apart from sport (and getting rich).
regards, Michael