Amor fati: What Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy's simple yet powerful message really means
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is not in an easy place to be in right now. After being drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and expecting to compete for a starting spot with Sam Darnold throughout the season, that opportunity is being taken away from him – at least for now […]
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy is not in an easy place to be in right now. After being drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and expecting to compete for a starting spot with Sam Darnold throughout the season, that opportunity is being taken away from him – at least for now – over something he can't control.
One thing is to lose out on a competition for the starting gig and another one is to be knocked out from the race because of an injury while missing crucial preseason playing time. On Tuesday, reports emerged about McCarthy facing knee surgery that will determine how long he's out for, as A to Z Sports' Tyler Forness laid out in an earlier article:
Meniscus surgeries could lead to multiple outcomes. If it's a complete tear, that injury could take months to heal with a full repair. If it's minor, McCarthy could be out just 4-6 weeks. We will know in due time.
The good news is that McCarthy is already proving he's got the exact mindset an athlete in his situation must have. In his tweet reacting to the news breaking, he sent a simple but powerful message: "I'll be back in no time. Amor fati."
For those unaware, Amor fati translates from Latin to "Love of one's fate" and it's a powerful philosophical phrase popularized by Friedrich Nietzsche and heavily linked to the main ideas of stoic philosophy, with famous stoics like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius discussing similar thoughts to this in their work. One of the centric elements of stoic philosophy is that we're better off focusing on what we can control and being indifferent to that which is not up to us.
Thus, Amor fati. Love your fate. Or, in the words of Epictetus: "Instead of wishing that things would happen as you'd like, wish that they would happen as they do, and then you'll be content." (Handbook VIII)
Over the past year, Amor fati is a phrase I've dealt and struggled with following the passing of my father and the main reason why it can be an internal battle within your head is that this question keeps coming back to your mind: How can you love your fate when it's seemingly so terrible?
I'm sure McCarthy finds it difficult to love the fact that he's undergoing knee surgery that could potentially knock him out for a good chunk of the season. But the thing is he can't control the fact that the surgery will happen. What is in his control is how responds to the situation he's in. But to respond to it, he first must accept it, embrace it, and "love" his fate.
I'll get personal here for a bit but don't bother getting the tissue box out, it's just the best way I can try and explain it: I don't love that my dad passed away battling cancer for the third time in seven years. That would be the fakest thing I can claim. But objectively, I can't do anything about the fact that he's gone.
What I can do, and I have tried my best to do, is accept and embrace the situation and make the most of it. As a result, my brothers, mother, and I have grown even closer together. At 25 years old, I feel like I've grown up more over the last year than I would've under different circumstances. My eight-month niece is receiving all the love in the world. In large part because as a family, we've done our best to accept the circumstances we find ourselves in. Within the bad nature of the journey, there's good that comes out of it.
For McCarthy to have this mindset going into a rookie season with new-found adversity that could knock him out for a good chunk of time should be perceived as a big positive. Rehab from injuries in the NFL can't be easy. But the quarterback seems to have accepted it already, which will make it easier for him to respond to it.
We're all rooting for the Vikings' rookie. And if I had to bet, J.J. will make the most out of the time he's watching from the sidelines.
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