September 8th Evan Tanner passed away. Being a big UFC fan his passing was impactful to me. His rise to becoming a champion in the UFC wasn't what had brought me to be a fan of his. Instead it was his very open personal battle with his own demons that made him a champion to me.
He wrote extensively about his trials and tribulations. He had the heart of a warrior and the spirit of someone always learning and searching for experiences and adventure.
A Jack Kerouac quote reminds me of Evan.
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes "Awww!”
His own mantra was about believing in the power of one person:
"Believe in the Power of One" is not about me, but it is. It's not an ego thing, it's not an arrogance thing, it's not a look at me, worship me thing. It has nothing to do with that.
It's a statement to all of belief, the belief that each of us, each man, each woman, each individual, has the power to change the world, and it is a reminder to take responsibility for that power, and to make use of it. How will you choose to use your power? How will you choose to change the world?
A great legacy for a man whose life was far to short.
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