Unconquerable Optimism

Ivan Maisel writes on Espn.com, about A&M leaving the Big 12 for the SEC,

“Through the lean times and the occasional flush ones, the Aggies always had their pride. Them being so full of themselves may have made Aggie jokes resonate to the rest of us. But Aggie pride also fueled an unconquerable optimism that bordered on braggadocio. Aggie players played better, ran faster and tackled harder, whether they did or not. Their fans believed, no matter what the scoreboard said. As the saying goes, Aggies don't lose, they just run out of time.”

  

Leaving aside football, I have had several conversations lately about Aggies being extremely prideful. In one discussion, the person said almost every Aggie they had ever met was a very prideful person. Also, a friend of mine recently pointed out that immediately following the fall semester of my freshman year I had become “indoctrinated” and “had changed.” He said it somewhat light-heartedly. You may have heard something similar said about A&M and/or Fish Camp, and likewise, that Aggies are a part of some sort of cult.

I find this topic worthy of examination if only it helps me love my brother and sisters in Christ better. My attitude about college rivalries in general has remained the same for some time. There is much to gain from Galatians 3:28, which states, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” I wish I could add Aggie, Longhorn, and Red Raider to this verse because the same idea applies. Friendly competition, to be sure, is desirable. Yet the bible is clear that believers should aspire to being absolutely unified. Clearly, there is no place for rivalry. (“Do nothing from rivalry or empty conceit, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.” Phil 2:3). If rivalry means “I hate them,” or “they suck,” or “they can go to hell” because someone else wears another jersey than there is something wrong.

All that being said - if there is something about A&M that tempts an 18 year old kid to become more prideful than he would have otherwise at a different school, than I don’t want my future son or daughter to go there. This is where it gets tricky. Lots of colleges have traditions, military and non-military alike. Ohio State “dots the I,” and people are happy when that happens. University of Arkansas has a “senior walk” with every graduate’s name engraved in a long and winding sidewalk across campus. Traditions vary from place to place. Many people have indicated that because the A&M war hymn references our so-called rival in Austin in nearly every refrain, that of itself is a revealing insight into our conceit.

Yet another conversation I had involved the Aggie honor code, which reads simply, "An aggie will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." In said conversation the other parties were convinced that this code is fertile soil for pride and a “holier than thou” attitude. Truth be told, I don’t really know the genesis of the Aggie honor code or how it came about. As a comparison, the UT Longhorn honor code states, “The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness and respect toward peers and community.”  

As it happens the Aggie honor code is nearly identical to the West Point code – "A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, or tolerate those who do." From a military standpoint, I can see the value in having it the way it is. I don’t see the code as saying that we should not tolerate you, as a person, because of your moral failure. Instead, what the code means is that because of a particular moral failure, such as lying, it becomes intolerable to have such an individual around within a military setting. In other words, often times in warfare the stakes are too high in order to run the risk of having liars and thieves in your midst. Whether or not this still applies to A&M considering the dwindling size of the corp of cadets I don’t know, but I think the code itself is understandable.

Of more interest to me, looking back at those years particularly as a freshman and sophomore, I do occasionally see a more selfish, prideful version of myself. The most passionate part of my heart and mind often wanted A&M to win on Saturday more than worshipping God with my fellow believers on Sunday. Often I served the idol of comfort and self. There were periods, maybe even weeks or months, when my own life and dreams seemed proportionately much bigger and more important than God’s plans.

But there were also times of joy, gratitude, and heartfelt love towards my fellow believing Aggies. Sitting in Reed Arena at Breakaway on Tuesday nights, there were times for tearful repentance and spiritual renewal listening to Ben Stuart. There were little God-caused frustrations and obstacles that forced me to seek Him out and depend on Him. There is so much to be thankful for, not the least of which is an education paid for mostly by my grandparents.

Of course I am aware my personal experience does not provide overwhelming evidence for or against Aggies as being proud of heart. I don’t disagree with ESPN’s Maisel on the “unconquerable optimism.” Maybe sometimes it is silly. There certainly is a culture of pride at A&M, in the sense that “we never lose” (but only run out of time). I think that tradition has its roots in an earlier era, back when people had a sense of humor.

That sort of joking may come in handy when you are likely to be shipped off with your buddies to Omaha beach or Iwo Jima. I hope I never find out.