I love going down to the Hunter Creek Tavern in Gold Beach and watching the New England Patriots play football on one of their 10 big HD screens. The entire tavern, except for me, erupts in cheering when the other team does something successful. I alone erupt in cheers when the Patriots do something successful.

The experience is a microcosmic lesson of how the world, as a whole, operates. The Patriots are to professional football what America is to the world. They are simply more prosperous and successful than anyone else. The reasons are talented people, hard work, and a good system. And the world reacts with envy and enmity. It’s just the human condition. People are naturally inclined to hate the achievers as a way to cover up their own shortcomings.

This weekend was no different than other weekends. The Patriots won, while the rest of the NFL jeered and made up excuses for their own lack of success. Sports does indeed give one insight into the human condition.