When I heard of Simone Biles’ decision to step back from the pressure of the Olympics and the “goat” (Greatest of All Time) label, the first images that came to my mind were those of Thomas Merton and Bob Dylan.
Biles, Merton and Dylan might seem a strange grouping, but each of them wrestled with the cost of fame and the weight of demanding fans. Each also eventually found the courage to detach themselves from all the “hype.”
Imagine how you would feel if people didn’t merely describe you as good at something, but as the “greatest of all time” at something. First, the claim makes no sense. A person can be called great at something, even the greatest so far, but “all time” includes the future.
The weight placed on those who are labeled the greatest of all time is that they must perform not just better than their competitors and those who came before them, but better than anyone who will ever come in the future.
Second, to call someone the greatest of all times imprisons that person. The label of “goat” doesn’t describe the person so much as the expectations and needs of the media and fans. Instead of accurately describing a person, the “goat” label becomes a script that this person, whether a monk, singer or athlete, must follow.
After Thomas Merton wrote several books that became best sellers, his numerous readers considered him to be the greatest monastic writer of not just the 20th century but other centuries as well. They loved his insights into the spiritual life, and they let Merton know they needed him to write more of the same. That’s when Merton’s readers put him into a box and told him to stay put.
In Bob Dylan’s case, he was considered the greatest folk singer and songwriter of the folk generation. According to legend, Dylan was anointed by Woody Guthrie to be the next folksinger “goat,” and that meant fans and critics needed Dylan to stick with songs of social protest and make sure those songs were played solely on an acoustic guitar and harmonica. There was to be no electric guitar for Dylan.
If it takes courage for any of us to stand up for ourselves and say “no” to the expectations of others, imagine the emotional and spiritual courage it takes to stand up to millions of fans. Merton did that by switching focus and writing about the wisdom found in other religions and about the insanity of the Vietnam War. The reaction of his fans? “How dare you! You’re supposed to write about Jesus, the saints, and life in the monastery, not politics and other religions.”
Dylan broke out of the “greatest folksinger of all time” box by picking up an electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The reaction of his fans? He was booed and called a Judas. One account has the patriarch of folk music, Pete Seeger, trying to cut the cord to Dylan’s electric guitar. But Dylan knew that, if he was to remain creative, he had to free himself from the comfortable box that his fans had put him in.
And now, even before the Olympic Games started, we labeled Biles the “goat.” We even made her pose with a real goat and give interviews about being labeled the “greatest of all time.” Did we think we were doing her a favor? Probably.
But, as Biles has now revealed, pressure from the media and fans felt like the weight of the world had been placed on her shoulders. She wouldn’t just be competing with other athletes in Tokyo. She would be competing with our impossible expectations of her.
Jesus asked a question 2,000 years ago that Merton, Dylan and Biles have learned is as timely now as in the past. “What does it profit a person if she gains the whole world but loses her own soul?”
David Carlson of Franklin is a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion. Send comments to [email protected].
