I applaud The Japan Times for publishing Grant Piper's July 21 letter, "Social competition or pathology?" I agree with his views that competitive sports are immoral and inappropriate, but I disagree that noncompetitive, friendly and recreational sports are qualitatively any different from organized sports. Both are competitive. My utopia would be a world where I throw the ball and my friend doesn't catch it. Better yet, neither of us throws the ball and we stay at home alone and read.
Piper's views about unorganized vs. organized sports complement my own concerning reading and movies. Books are meant to be read, not to be turned into flickering lights that simulate movement. No time is spent well in a movie theater chair or on a couch watching a DVD at home. In fact, moviegoers and sports enthusiasts would serve themselves and society best by getting out of their seats and sitting down with a good book. Also, movies are never as good as the books that inspire them, as was so obviously the case with, for example, the movie "Terminator 2" and the book of the same name.
Unfortunately, by following my own and Piper's advice, I have become not only out of shape but resistant to contact with other humans, for there is a degree of competitiveness in all human relations. It is no wonder that my daughter, Aroni, has nicknamed me "The Panting Griper."
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