A fellow coach posted this question in a Facebook group of coaches: "If you were an iconic building, which one would you be and what would that say about your identity in the world?"
First off, let me just say that I'm terrible at "If you were a _______, what would you be?" As a Scanner, I have a hard time picking just one thing. I always hear, even if it's not stated, an implied understanding that I could only ever pick one thing, and that would have to be my choice for all time. I can't possibly choose between so many fabulous options.
This time I gave myself a different permission. Here's what I wrote:
First I have to remember that the question only has to be
"Which iconic building would you be right now." It doesn't have to be the one I'd pick to be forever and ever. Ok. Permission granted. So what just popped into my head for right now? Lambeau Field.
Now, I'll have to think about what that says. If you're a Green Bay Packer fan, you might not need an explanation of why someone might be Lambeau Field if they could choose any iconic building to be. In case you're not, read on.
Lambeau Field is the cathedral for the state religion of Wisconsin. When the founders of this country wrote the Constitution and specifically disallowed the establishment of a state religion, they had no way of knowing that many decades later a phenomenon would arise in a part of this new land that they didn't even know existed yet. That phenomenon would come to be known as the Green Bay Packers. Their home would eventually be named Lambeau Field. People would know their history, their leading figures and sworn enemies, their battles and their victories, their saints and their demons better than the same people would ever know the Bible they heard preached from their pulpits on the Sunday morning before kickoff. Church schedules would accommodate the Packer schedule. People who would never commit to be anywhere else on a weekly basis would commit to being in front of their TV sets or, if they were very lucky, in the Cathedral itself for every single game. They would pass their season tickets from generation to generation, along with the stories and traditions of the game.
They would even wear foam cheese on their heads.
So, why would this building be iconic for me? Well, it's a cathedral and I'm spiritual. Ok. Enough facetiousness.
Lambeau Field is the building, the space, the Packers call home. Every game day, 72,500 people gather there, mostly with one purpose - to support their team. Among those people are Democrats and Republicans; Tea Partiers and Ultra-liberals; people of all religions and no religion; men, women, girls, boys; LBGT and heterosexual people; people of many races and ethnicities; people who in a meeting room or a community forum or a church or on the street might disagree with each other about everything they think or believe. They might be entrenched in their own position and be unwilling or unable to see any other perspective. But when they come to Lambeau, they find a place where they connect. They find common ground. They love the Packers.
And, because most of them are "Wisconsin nice," they're even pretty welcoming to the fans from the visiting teams who managed to find a ticket, which is tough since all games are not only sold out, but also fully attended.
For three hours of game time, differences drop away and connections get made. Community, however fleeting, gets formed. Spirit is present and accounted for.
At least, that's what I imagine happens. That's what people have told me happens. I've never had a chance to go to Lambeau. It's on my bucket list.
Today, though, if I'm a building, I want to be Lambeau Field. I want to be a heart and a space big enough for all kinds of people to find a place and to find others and to find their common ground. And that kind of common ground is well on the way to being holy ground.
So, if you were an iconic building, which would you be? And what would that say about your identity in the world? Leave a comment to reply.
First off, let me just say that I'm terrible at "If you were a _______, what would you be?" As a Scanner, I have a hard time picking just one thing. I always hear, even if it's not stated, an implied understanding that I could only ever pick one thing, and that would have to be my choice for all time. I can't possibly choose between so many fabulous options.
This time I gave myself a different permission. Here's what I wrote:
First I have to remember that the question only has to be "Which iconic building would you be right now." It doesn't have to be the one I'd pick to be forever and ever. Ok. Permission granted. So what just popped into my head for right now? Lambeau Field.
Now, I'll have to think about what that says. If you're a Green Bay Packer fan, you might not need an explanation of why someone might be Lambeau Field if they could choose any iconic building to be. In case you're not, read on.
Lambeau Field is the cathedral for the state religion of Wisconsin. When the founders of this country wrote the Constitution and specifically disallowed the establishment of a state religion, they had no way of knowing that many decades later a phenomenon would arise in a part of this new land that they didn't even know existed yet. That phenomenon would come to be known as the Green Bay Packers. Their home would eventually be named Lambeau Field. People would know their history, their leading figures and sworn enemies, their battles and their victories, their saints and their demons better than the same people would ever know the Bible they heard preached from their pulpits on the Sunday morning before kickoff. Church schedules would accommodate the Packer schedule. People who would never commit to be anywhere else on a weekly basis would commit to being in front of their TV sets or, if they were very lucky, in the Cathedral itself for every single game. They would pass their season tickets from generation to generation, along with the stories and traditions of the game.
They would even wear foam cheese on their heads.
So, why would this building be iconic for me? Well, it's a cathedral and I'm spiritual. Ok. Enough facetiousness.
Lambeau Field is the building, the space, the Packers call home. Every game day, 72,500 people gather there, mostly with one purpose - to support their team. Among those people are Democrats and Republicans; Tea Partiers and Ultra-liberals; people of all religions and no religion; men, women, girls, boys; LBGT and heterosexual people; people of many races and ethnicities; people who in a meeting room or a community forum or a church or on the street might disagree with each other about everything they think or believe. They might be entrenched in their own position and be unwilling or unable to see any other perspective. But when they come to Lambeau, they find a place where they connect. They find common ground. They love the Packers.
And, because most of them are "Wisconsin nice," they're even pretty welcoming to the fans from the visiting teams who managed to find a ticket, which is tough since all games are not only sold out, but also fully attended.
For three hours of game time, differences drop away and connections get made. Community, however fleeting, gets formed. Spirit is present and accounted for.
At least, that's what I imagine happens. That's what people have told me happens. I've never had a chance to go to Lambeau. It's on my bucket list.
Today, though, if I'm a building, I want to be Lambeau Field. I want to be a heart and a space big enough for all kinds of people to find a place and to find others and to find their common ground. And that kind of common ground is well on the way to being holy ground.
So, if you were an iconic building, which would you be? And what would that say about your identity in the world? Leave a comment to reply.
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