Unexpected | Ray Lewis | TEDxYouth@VHS
## Speaker Context - Speaker identity: Speaker (implied motivational speaker/storyteller). - Audience, setting, occasion of the talk: Not explicitly stated, but suggests a public speaking/motivational setting, possibly related to sports or personal struggle. - Any framing the speaker establishes for themselves up front: Opens by asking for a show of hands regarding dealing with pain. ## People - Tony Romo + professional player + quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. - Dr. C + medical professional + examined the speaker's arm. - Dr. Urbe + college doctor + treated the speaker. - Mom + speaker's mother + spoke about giving cards to the speaker. - My stepfather + relation to the speaker's mother + physically abused the speaker's mother. - Kobe + mentioned in relation to a moment of realization regarding the team. - Jackie Jones + recipient of a kickoff in a significant moment. - Father + speaker's father + figure whose absence was a source of pain/lesson. ## Organizations - Dallas Cowboys + professional sports team + mentioned in relation to a game. - ESPN channel + media source + mentioned in the context of the speaker's career. ## Places - Baltimore + location of a game involving the Dallas Cowboys. - The garage + place where the speaker lived after a domestic altercation. - The stadium + location where the Super Bowl narrative took place. ## Tools, Tech & Products - MRI + medical imaging procedure + was part of the diagnosis. - Deck of cards + used by the speaker for physical exercise/training. - Sho string + used to support the speaker's arm over night. ## Concepts & Definitions - Pain + Side of pain that is the suffering and the discomfort. - Effort/Glory + The other side of pain; finding a way to push through pain reveals something greater. - Curse + Something generational that one might be following. - Glory + The thing found on the other side of pushing through pain. ## Numbers & Data - October 7th + Date mentioned in the context of a major moment. - 17 years + Duration of the speaker's career. - Nine surgeries + Number of surgeries the speaker's tricep had. - 4 and one + Score in a game (context unclear). - 15 plays + Number of plays referenced. - 30 minutes + Duration the speaker sat while gripping the bike handle. - 10 days + Duration the speaker did not have full use of his arm after surgery. - 52 + Number of cards in a standard deck. - 1986 + Year mentioned in relation to an event. - 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 11:30 + Times mentioned regarding the father's absence. ## Claims & Theses - Successfully dealing with pain is the focus of the talk. - The speaker was watching the Dallas Cowboys play in Baltimore on October 7th. - The speaker felt a sound originating from his tricep popping from the bone. - The speaker knew his 17-year career was ending when his tricep popped. - The speaker stated that one can only leave the battlefield for injury, not pain. - The speaker realized that if he didn't sacrifice his body, he would probably lose the game. - The speaker stated that the ability to smile when his doctor diagnosed the tear was significant. - The speaker claimed that nobody has ever come back from a tricep injury before. - The speaker asserted that his psyche, not the pain itself, dictates much of our lives. - The speaker claimed that the greatest pain of his life was the reason he was standing there today. - The speaker claimed that sports was a byproduct of his true motivation (protecting his mother). - The speaker claimed that the greatest achievement is the touch of the Barry trophy (misremembered/misheard). - The speaker claimed that the greatest pain a man will ever go through is the disconnection of a father. - The speaker stated that finding the root of who you are sometimes requires going back generationally. - The speaker asserted that the "Occasional storms that come every day" are the ingredient for dealing with pain. - The speaker claimed that "When you challenge a warrior, a warrior responds." ## Mechanisms & Processes - The pop of the tricep + Event that signaled injury, coming from the bone. - The process of denial/fighting through pain + Continuing play after a severe injury. - The recovery routine + Seeing almost nine doctors for nine weeks, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. every morning for 10 days. - Cycling/Gripping process + Spending 30 minutes gripping the bike bar until his mind convinced him to continue. - The physical therapy/training process + Doing push-ups, sit-ups, and cycling to build strength. - The emotional breakthrough process + Turning greatest pain into greatest achievement (using cards for training). ## Timeline & Events - Before the talk/period + The speaker studied all week for the moment during the game. - Game Day + The play involving Tony Romo in the fourth quarter. - During the game moment + The speaker felt the sound of his tricep popping from the bone. - After the pop/Diagnosis + The speaker was advised by Dr. C that he had popped his tricep from the bone. - Subsequent days/Period + The speaker was seen by Dr. Urbe and was told he needed his papers (MRI). - The time of the father's absence + The speaker stayed by the curve from 7:30 until 11:30 at night. - The Super Bowl Night before + The speaker retored his tricep and used a shoestring to keep his arm elevated for sleep. - Post-Super Bowl Game Day + The speaker came out of halftime and stayed longer to speak to his trainers. ## Examples & Cases - Tony Romo's play + Example of a high-stakes moment involving a drop and a potential interception. - The speaker's initial diagnosis + Dr. C confirming the tricep popped from the bone. - The speaker's return to cycling + Gripping the bar and sitting for 30 minutes out of sheer will. - The mother's reaction to the card request + Saying "Junior, I don't gamble in my house." - The last altercation at home + The speaker running to the garage and practicing by playing cards (7 push-ups, 6, 9, 2, 9 until the deck was through). - The father's absence at the curve + The speaker remaining at the curve until 11:30 pm after promises about waiting for his father. - The Super Bowl comeback moment + Coming out of halftime to tell his trainers he couldn't punch, but then running out when Jacoby Jones was running toward the end zone. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - Leaving the battlefield vs. Injury + The speaker choosing to stay on the field because it was the fourth quarter. - Staying in the moment of pain + Sacrificing his body by rolling with a running back rather than conceding the score. - Following what is expected vs. Pushing through pain + Accepting the diagnosis vs. Continuing the fight. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - Caveat on pain + The side of pain that is the suffering and the discomfort. - Caveat on pain + The other side of pain is called effort/Glory. - Caveat on giving up + People rationalize and automatically stop when feeling small discomfort. - Caveat on recovery timeline + The speaker was seen by nine doctors for nine weeks. - Caveat on career advice + Many people thought his career was over after the injury. - Caveat on the source of strength + The speaker realized it wasn't the sports that started the training, but making sure no one put hands on his mama again. ## Methodology - Observation + Listening to many stories in the back room. - Self-testing/Physical exertion + Using cards to perform push-ups and sit-ups until exhaustion. - Reflection/Self-analysis + Realizing that his ability to smile when diagnosed was key. ## References Cited - The "Warrior" quote + Received via email through the speaker's agent. - Book/Concept reference + Going back generationally to find the root of who you are. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - To find out who you are + You must go back generationally and find out if you're following the same curses. - On pain + Understand that there is another side to pain, which is Glory. - On overcoming pain + Learn to appreciate the occasional storms that come in your life. ## Implications & Consequences - Ignoring pain's deeper lesson + Continues the cycle of pain (repetition of the psyche). - Embracing the challenge of pain + Leads to Glory. - Failing to appreciate small storms + Keeps one trapped by the pain cycle. ## Open Questions - How to deal with pain + How to understand that is on the other side of pain, which is Glory. ## Verbatim Moments - "I cannot believe this." - "I know I know it's gonna happen." - "I'm going out and I went to the sideline and my doctor walked up..." - "I just pop your tricep from the bone." - "Man believes in the possible, God believes in the impossible." - "Pain is a repetition of the psyche until you learn how to figure it out." - "It's about the team." - "My mom... I need a deck of cards." - "I'm going to sit right here." - "No pain will ever stop me from taking care of you and my brothers and sisters." - "When you challenge a warrior, a warrior responds."