Now and Zen, He Gets Philosophical
It’s not every day a 16-year-old tells you he’s discovered the key to life and higher consciousness. When one does, you tend to listen.
It happened a couple weeks ago, over breakfast at a Newport Beach coffee shop. Brian Slingsby, a cross-country runner and triathlete from Corona del Mar High, was finishing his plate of low-cholesterol scrambled egg substitute when he offered this tidbit:
“Balance,” Slingsby said, “is the key to life. It creates harmony, which is key to peacefulness, tranquillity and higher consciousness.”
Heads turned. Forks dropped.
What was this--a sudden interpretation of an MTV video? Proof that fake eggs fool with the brain?
Slingsby sensed the sudden interest. It spooked him. He quickly pointed out he was merely quoting a principle of Taoism, a Chinese philosophy dating from 600 B.C. Taoism, Slingsby explained, stresses a life of balance and inner harmony.
He looked at his listener suspiciously. He didn’t want people to think he was some kind of kook.
“I’m studying Taoism--I just like it--but I don’t preach it or pray it,” he said.
“I mean, I don’t study it, but I have this book--I hate reading--so I’ve only read 50 pages in three months. . . . It’s not like I’m a Zen Master or anything.”
Relax, he was told. The world could use a few more well-balanced citizens. Please. Go on.
Slingsby said his older sister got him hooked on Eastern philosophies a few years ago, just after introducing him to yoga. For Christmas, she gave him a copy of “The Tao of Pooh,” a book whose premise is that Winnie the Pooh was a Taoist.
Sports, Slingsby said, are a perfect outlet for such a philosophy. In competition, anger and intimidation should never be used as motivation.
“I don’t thrive off disharmonial emotions,” Slingsby said.
Stress and worry? They’re whisked away with quiet composure and self-confidence.
Last week, a truck traveling about 60 m.p.h. sideswiped Slingsby while he was riding his bike. Miraculously, he only suffered scrapes and bruises.
His bike--all $3,700 of it--didn’t fare as well. The back wheel looks as if it has taken a couple turns on a salt water taffy machine, the spokes are a joke, the frame’s a goner. . . .
Zen and the Art of Bicycle Maintenance? Probably couldn’t hurt.
Four days after the accident, Slingsby, riding a borrowed bike, placed third out of 300 in a triathlon in Big Bear.
Saturday, he’s competing in the International Triathlon Union World Championships at Huntsville, Canada, just north of Toronto. Slingsby was one of 10 American juniors (ages 15-19) invited to the prestigious event.
Truth is, there are those in the triathlon world who see Slingsby as a future superstar. They tell him his potential--not only for medals, but money--is unlimited. Some even say forget college, go pro, cash in while he can.
But others, like his cross-country coach, Bill Sumner, wonder if Slingsby is missing out on being a kid.
The subtle pressures from both sides--do this, don’t do that, listen to us, don’t listen to them--has to be a bit confusing, enough to throw one’s yin and yang into a tizzy. But Slingsby keeps smiling.
He said he’s determined to make the most of his opportunities. That’s why, after being invited, he spent 22 gut-and-muscle-wrenching days in Boulder, Colo., in July training with the Who’s Who of triathlon. That’s why he’s Canada-bound this week. That’s why, once in a while, he swims, bikes and/or runs when he doesn’t feel like it.
But mostly he seems as happy-go-lucky as a go-cart ride. He works as a lifeguard at a neighborhood pool, plays piano and bass, is the Sea Kings’ sophomore class president and reads and writes poetry when he has the chance.
A sample, a la Slingsby: Be harmonious within, and your harmony inside will soon surround you.
Idealistic? Just a little.
Earlier this year, Slingsby sneaked his mountain bike onto the new, upscale Pelican Hill golf course, just south of Corona del Mar. The site was once one of Orange County’s most lovely treasures, a sanctuary by the sea. Slingsby couldn’t stand to see it go. He raced his bike across the fairways, shouting at the guards who chased him down.
“This is our land!” he yelled. “This is our land!”
Out of line? Perhaps. But rarely out of balance.
