I have to write a little more. I am SO feeling PJ in what he's saying, especially the part when he says we're not gonna go back. So many people want to retreat to the comfort zone of where they used to be, even when it's a dark, cold place--and especially when the going gets tough. That comes up in Scripture when the Israelites are complaining to Moses about the hardships of the journey, with some saying they should go back into captivity by the Egyptians. It's human nature.
My own professional experience is as a change agent, much like Fleck: trying to change a culture on two fronts--both locally and nationally/internationally--in an environment that's not always very receptive to change. I've found myself on a number of occasions saying the same thing as him, almost word for word: we are NOT going back to the way things used to be or the way we've always done things. We CAN'T go back, knowing what we know now and with the demands of the present-day world. The forces who want to go backward are tenacious and persistent. You find yourself constantly fighting them, which consumes limited resources that you could be expending taking us forward. The time we could be spending working out the finer points are instead spent rehashing and re-justifying the same basic concepts over and over and over.
This was the biggest game of my lifetime. Even though they've been in contention for the West title in the past, a win would have carried more weight than in those past situations because of the national playoff ramifications. That's rare air. That air is hard to breathe, even for fans, and obviously the higher you go, the harder the crash if you don't make it. If people are feeling like they want to go back so that they don't have to suffer this kind of crushing disappointment again...I think that's part of what Fleck is talking about. This is what it's like to be in contention, and there are going to be ups and downs.
This has been a transformative experience for me. I went into that game not fretting and fearing like I have in the past but just relishing the moment. It was tough to watch them crash and burn like that, but I wouldn't have given up these past few weeks for anything, even if it meant avoiding the disappointment. I think people need to decide whether they're interested in the big time. This is the big time.
