America is running a nice piece on Simone Biles by Zac Davis. A taste:
Even if we aren’t carrying around the pressure of performing as one of the greatest athletes of all time, we are all susceptible to the undercurrents in our culture that preach grit, grind and pushing through. Whether for money or for social acceptance, the impulse to never! stop! improving! adds to the perils of a wellness culture that says we’ll be perfect if we just practice self-improvement until we’re dead. Simone Biles has offered us proof that impulses to be the best do not need to rule over our lives.
It takes a tremendous amount of spiritual freedom and an equal amount of bravery to make that choice. One of the consequences of making a free choice is that not everyone will understand it. How could they without a clear window into your soul? While Ms. Biles has been largely embraced for prioritizing her mental health, some cantankerous commentators have tried to say her choice is a result of the modern coddling of millennials and Gen-Z, and it would be unfathomable for someone like Michael Jordan to bow out of a competition (these commentators seem to be unaware that Jordan did quit basketball in his prime to try to focus on his mental health after his father died).
Read the entire piece here.
