Little League baseball players provide roadmap for societal discourse

It’s an example of what our country and our world could look like if we all showed the same level of empathy and concern for others as these 12-year-old boys.

Abeautiful example of humanity’s potential for goodness, empathy and compassion unfolded Tuesday at a Little League regional playoff, providing a nation beleaguered by conflict, anxiety and uncertainty with a reminder that we have the power to shape our relationships with each other now, and in turn, shape the future of our communities and our country. A reminder there is hope for a better and brighter future if we treat each other with decency, dignity and respect.

It was the bottom of the first inning when Texas East pitcher Kaiden Shelton lost control of a hard-thrown pitch and struck Team Oklahoma batter Isaiah Jarvis in the side of the head, sending the 12-year-old batter to the ground.

The audience watching in the stands let out an audible gasp as coaches and teammates ran to check on the young batter. Fortunately, a few moments later, he was able to shake off the hit and take his place on first base as the crowd roared and breathed a sigh of relief.

But one person wasn’t relieved.

As the cameras focused on Jarvis, off-camera, Shelton, the Texas East pitcher, was visibly shaken at the thought that he may have just accidentally caused serious injury to an opponent. He was crying, shaking and struggling to regain his composure when Jarvis, the batter who had just taken a ball to the head, joined Shelton on the mound and embraced him. On-field microphones captured Jarvis telling Shelton, “Hey, you’re doing great.”

Jarvis would later tell People magazine that he “just wanted to make sure (Shelton) was OK too.”

Video of the touching moment has gone viral and commentators across the country have called it a tremendous act of leadership and sportsmanship, both of which are true.

But we believe the moment is far more important than just an inspiring interaction between two opponents. It’s an example of what our country and our world could look like if we all showed the same level of empathy and concern for others as these 12-year-old boys.

Imagine how conversations about difficult and painful topics might look if we all behaved like Shelton, who was immediately distraught and regretful at the thought that he might have injured Jarvis. It didn’t matter that the young pitcher didn’t intend to throw the ball at his opponent’s head, all that mattered is that something he did, an action he took, may have caused pain and harm to a fellow human being.

Imagine how conversations about difficult and painful topics might look if we all behaved like Jarvis, taking a moment to feel and assess our own pain, but then, upon realizing that we will be OK, refocusing our attention on empathy and even ensuring the person who accidentally hurt us is OK, too.

Imagine how our local schools, offices, communities and neighborhoods might look different if we behaved more like kids and coaches on that field, never asking what’s in it for me, but seeing a friend in need and immediately running to offer assistance and help getting back on their feet.

And imagine how our politics and societal interactions might look if we behaved like the crowd in the stands. Taking a moment to both individually and collectively gasp upon seeing a fellow human being in pain, focusing our attention on them, and then applauding and celebrating their health, their life and their humanity.

These aren’t complicated lessons. Our kids know them, understand them and often live by them. And sometimes, when we allow ourselves to step out of our strategic, cynical, negotiated adult lives, we can find ourselves caught up in our children’s best moments, too.

But Isaiah and Kaiden didn’t learn these lessons on their own. Their parents instilled these lessons in them and led by example. And the actions of their teammates show that their coaches reinforced those lessons on the field as well. The adults in their lives taught them to not only look out for themselves but to treat each other with decency, dignity and respect. The adults around them modeled kindness and empathy, and now, in turn, these kids are living those lessons and leading by example on a national stage.

With classes starting back up in Clark County, school sports are making their return. Last year’s high school sports season saw an epidemic of bad, even violent behavior both on and off the field. But too often, it was parents who were encouraging that behavior — cussing, screaming, threatening and pushing their children to take actions that were far from empathetic or inspirational.

Sure, kids will make their own choices, and some of them will be bad, irrational, even violent choices. And it’s a parent’s job to protect our kids from themselves and teach them how to be successful adults and navigate a world that is too often cutthroat and unforgiving. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t step up as parents and community members and lead with the same example those Little Leaguers showed us Tuesday.

When we impart our killer instincts on our children and celebrate the ways in which they won by pushing others down, rather than the ways in which they pulled themselves up, we rob them of their chance to have beautiful human moments like this one. And we rob ourselves of the chance to be participants in those moments and reconnect with the joyful optimistic child that lives in all of us.

We can all learn a lesson from Isaiah, Kaiden and their teammates. By hugging each other, these kids gave the world a collective hug. And that’s something all of us can appreciate and celebrate and, perhaps most importantly, learn from.