Rediscovering my passion for the series Scott Bakula starred in–one of my favourite shows from back in the day, Quantum Leap. The show’s premise is that physicist Samuel Beckett “leaps” back in time, inhabiting the bodies of different people. He’s trying to change history, to put right what went wrong, and hopefully return home.

What I find most interesting is the idea that there’s a single pivotal moment in each of our lives where we zig when we should have zagged. Does one mistake set the tone for the rest of our lives? And could it affect many more people in a positive or negative way?

Most of the time, the answer has to be a resounding “no.” It’s daily action that counts, not one moment. If you define yourself by a single event, that in itself can be devastating. Sure we don’t always get what we want, but situations can change by choice.

Look at the spouse who claims their partner “ruined” their lives, or the employee who hates their job: Do they spend the rest of their lives in that bad situation? Who put them in that position? Was it just about being short-sighted? If a car hits you and paralyzes you, does that mean your life is over?

Quantum Leap aims to improve the quality of life for people. That’s a different matter– the degree of comfort, success or happiness that we have by averting tragedy. When dealing with the worst circumstances, some people make a conscious choice not to go on. To die a little on the inside with each new day spent unfulfilled and unhappy.

No one is going to leap into our bodies and make us more confident, stronger, smarter, better looking or even more disciplined. However, I really believe that there is an adventure out there to be had if we step beyond our limits.

Roberto Duran was one of those special guys whose rise signified the high water mark of one of the greatest eras in boxing history around the 80’s. It’s fitting that author Christian Giudice traveled to Panama to produce an unparalleled biography on the subject of the fighter, entitled ‘Hands of Stone: The Life and Legend of Roberto Duran.’

From his early days selling newspapers and offering shoeshines to a stellar amateur career, Giudice retells the very ordinary origins of one of the greatest lightweights of all time. With the right manager and backing, Duran would capture multiple world titles across weight divisions, culminating in his pinnacle achievement of being the first man to defeat celebrated Olympian “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1980.

For a man who lacked a true father figure, multiple individuals filled the void. In the early days of hustling as a child, a gypsy-vagabond named ‘Chaflan’ took several street kids, including Duran, under his wing. Chaflan might not have been wealthy or learned, but he showed the kind of loyalty that was endearing:

“He refused to abandon them when others had. Chaflan couldn’t replace Duran’s father, but he showed him he could accomplish anything he put his mind to.”

Later on, a trio of trainers including Plomo Quinones, Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel would prepare Duran for his bouts, providing leadership and motivation for his camps. Often, Duran would creep up in weight and party hard, thus requiring crafty solutions and tactics to get him to focus on the task at hand.

A final question posed by the author revolves around the estimated $45-$60 million dollars (US) in career earnings that dissipated into nothing. Today, Duran is broke, a predicament which might be owing to several factors including bad investments,  excessive gambling by his wife, or the lecherous collection of hangers-on who sucked an over-generous Duran dry during his glory days.

Perhaps I would have enjoyed a little more history about the nation of Panama, including economic theories regarding neocolonialist interference– after all, this is why many countries in Latin America remain unable to bridge the gap between rich and poor. However, explaining the political situation might have required several separate volumes.

I recommend taking a look at Giudice’s work to see what we are missing out on today. Duran is unique, paradoxical at times, full of rage at others. But the footsteps where he once walked, achieving great things, are never to be repeated by any others. We can look back, but we cannot ever go back to the time when the ‘Fab Four’ ruled.

Like many MMA fans, I was mystified when purple belt Mackens Semerzier submitted third degree black belt Wagnney Fabiano via triangle choke at WEC 43 in October of 2009. I was haunted by the mystery, and ventured to Grant Brothers MMA in North York to speak with the Nova União team member to find out the details concerning the upset. For the short version of the story, go to FightMagazine.com.

So now we’re set for the last few days of the year. I’ve been so busy working on different projects that I rarely took the time to reflect; now that the year is drawing to a close, this might be the time to say something. After all, it’s pretty rare that I don’t have something on my mind.

The first and foremost item that has affected the world has been the plunge in the economy, which started just over a year ago. Many were optimistic and hoped for an early recovery, but we’re faced with a situation that hasn’t quite resolved itself. When I think back to 2009, the year has been filled with an endless sense of trepidation and anxiety for those affected by the downturn. In the media, the trends are almost universally negative:  publications have been folding, advertising revenue has decreased and staff are being trimmed.

More and more people have been attracted to entrepreneurial ventures to bolster their fortunes. There’s a growing sense of dissatisfaction with the way cuts have been handled, and the job security that many believed they were signing on for hasn’t materialized. Several years ago, there were articles predicting the end of long-term employment, suggesting that people would sign on for contracts. Could this still be an option possibility, if only for a percentage of the workforce?

Of course, for recent college and University grads, especially of Arts programs, there’s no real change. Every graduating class awakes to find that the competition is that much stiffer, and their options much more limited. Yet optimism and hope for a better future hasn’t dried up.

This feature, entitled Generation X, was written by Douglas Coupland in 1987 for Vancouver magazine. It captures an attitude and mood about careers among my age group that hasn’t been weathered away over time:

“Alex is now waiting tables at a French restaurant before he decides what his next job will be. He hopes for something creative, fun, with flexible hours, and lots of attractive, bright, witty people to discuss European movies with all day. Anything less is a compromise.”

Well Alex, as Seinfeld would say, “Good luck with all that.“

The way to explain this film would be to say that it perfectly captures the feeling of being young and having potential, possibilities and something transient that you can live beautifully at the time its happening. I watched Airborne on television in the late 90’s. Maybe it was the state that I was in, but I felt like there was this convergence between myself and the main character, a California surfer named Mitchell Goosen who has been transplanted unwittingly to Cincinnati.

Espousing a non-violent philosophy, Mitchell tries to preserve his ideals while dealing with hostility in his new, inland setting. Brittney Powell plays his love interest, a girl who also happens to be the sister of one of the guys antagonizing Mitchell in school.

You could say the classic underdogs vs preppies opposition is an overdone cliche in high school films, but here it’s just a plot device to set up the climactic race on roller-blades between the two groups. Here, Mitchell wins acceptance as his beliefs influence his tactics in the race.

From the lingo to the soundtrack by Stewart Copeland, everything in the film makes the viewer feel nostalgic about the era that Airborne is set in. You can feel how the moments explored in the film will never come again later in life. Also, while the characters experience a celebration in the final parting shot, who knows what really happens to them as time passes?

What I am left to think about is the sensation of the world whipping by as we try to surf/skate the hidden waves around us, embracing each new experience while allowing the aftertaste of the past to linger.

This weekend, I made a road trip out to Montreal where I made a visit to the Tristar gym. Also, on Saturday night, I caught a local MMA show called the Mixed Fighting League. Sunday evening was capped by dinner with two-time UFC lightweight title challenger and co-host of ESPN’s MMA Live Kenny Florian.

Of course, there were a lot of good times and interesting stories told. I am sure they will all come out sooner or later (wink, wink!).

I hear a lot of people describe ‘cutthroat’ environments in school, business, social circles, etc. What I often find is that people mistake being competitive with being cutthroat. Or rather, they know the difference, but just don’t care to adhere to to a more restrictive set of operating parameters.

When I say ‘cutthroat,’ I define it as performing with a lack of empathy towards others. It’s not a question of whether or not the person does everything they can to succeed, or whether they are fuelled by ambition. Rather, it’s what happens after they make the grade: Do they taunt their peers? Are they talking behind other people’s back? Can they differentiate between competition in one activity and separate it from their interpersonal relationships?

Often, what we see sometimes are individuals and/or groups of people who are poor losers and worse at winning. Where does this attitude come from? Although we are responsible for their own actions, it’s true that there are few markers or clues to be found to direct citizens, students or employees towards a better philosophy. When everything taught to us hinges on qualitative measures (like dollar signs), compromises are bound to ripple throughout society.

Being competitive is a different matter altogether. You can be the best student–get straight-A’s–and not thumb your nose at your peers. Maybe understand that when it’s on, it’s on–but when the race is over, you can still feel compassion for others. Basically what I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to be cutthroat to be competitive.

So yes, this way we can feel good about the achievements of others even as they outperform us. In a way, it makes it easier to deal with their success and sweeter when we have peers who, in turn, appreciate our own little victories.

The debut issue of VIE Magazine features an interview that I did with acclaimed director Deepa Mehta. Sitting down for tea in her comfortable Annex home was quite the experience. We spoke at length on her latest film, Heaven on Earth, as well as her other experiences in both life and film making.

The August issue of FIGHT! magazine has a special feature that I wrote about the link between Mixed Martial Arts and yoga. Of course, both Rickson Gracie and Diego Sanchez played a direct role in inspiring and influencing  my own practice, which is why I wanted to share this particular story.

EDIT: You can now read the feature online here.