No matter how Nick Kyrgios performs at this year’s Australian Open, thousands of pixels will continue to be dedicated to trying to figure out just what is ‘wrong’ with Australia’s number one tennis player.
Many of these opinion pieces focus on Krygios’ lack of passion for tennis. But what exactly are passions and what if the problem isn’t with the young man from Canberra, but is with our contemporary meaning of passions?
Leading a life where our passions are followed and fulfilled saturates our relationship with living in the early twenty-first century. It seems that almost everywhere we turn we are encouraged to follow our passions. After all, this is the key ingredient to the success of reality television shows such as MasterChef.
Further to this, is the notion that professional athletes are successful because they have worked hard and followed their passion. This is the established and very powerful narrative that frames how we engage with sport.
It is in this sense that we are encouraged to believe following our passions is the best path to personal fulfillment and to breaking free from the shackles of our mundane existences.
This view of passions as a motivating force is how Enlightenment philosopher, David Hume, understood passion, which is contrasted by fellow Enlightenment philosopher, Immanuel Kant’s argument of passion as a disease.
Our modern interpretation of passions as offering freedom and fulfillment by motivating us has similarities to the philosophy of Hume.
But passions have not always been so positively viewed as they are now.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, passion comes from the Latin term, pati, meaning to suffer and its early associations with the Passion of Christ reinforced this meaning. Christ’s passions represent the final suffering he endured in his last week on earth. Hence passion has not always been aspirational and celebratory.
While it is unfair to say that the meaning of passion has been hijacked by our technologically-driven world, which facilitates constantly seeking personal fulfilment, it is fair to say that how passion is interpreted shifts throughout time.
For Kant passions are a malady and the antithesis of reason, which he described as “cancerous sores for practical reason”.
Kant also argues that passions are akin to folly, and really, what greater folly can there be than following a fury little yellow ball around a tennis court for a living?
Rather than trying to read Kyrgios as a spoilt brat or as a young man who is not grateful for his talent, perhaps we should read him through Kant’s understanding of passions.
His life is a life that many of us envy and wish we could have, but there also is a sense of madness to professional, and especially highly paid sport. Ultimately these people are not curing cancer or bringing about world peace. They’re travelling the globe chasing a bouncing ball.
These athletes are the privileged few that are paid millions of dollars to do what is entertainment for us mere mortals who will never know what it is to walk onto centre court at Wimbledon.
By attempting to apply the philosophies of Kant to explain the behaviour of Nick Kyrgios we see not only a possible explanation for behaviour many of us are baffled by, but we are reminded that our modern viewpoint on passions is quite narrow and perhaps even simplistic.
There is no guarantee that passions are a gateway to greater fulfillment and happiness. It is also a fallacy to think that talent also equals a passion for something.
What we see in Kyrgios is an example of someone who does not fit our early twenty-first century mythology of passions.
In this sense Nick Kyrgios is doing pointing out a very Kantian definition of passions in a world that has moved to a Humean interpretation of them, even if he is not consciously aware of doing so.
Nick Kyrgios will play his second round match today at the Australian Open against Italian Andreas Seppi.
Dav
Guest
Very good article Kate...I think you're close to the mark. Although I think with age, an acceptance of moral responsibility will come. He can't take the money if he won't play the game. At the moment though the stats clearly say he can't play clutch tennis that's all.
haveyoursay
Guest
It's funny reading some of these very typical white Anglo-Australian interpretations of Nick Kyrgios. Set up a 'mission' and perhaps you can mind steal him in the middle of the night and fix his wrong doing. All so exceptionally eloquent via word. Armchair philosophers set to right the wrongs of the world. What's even more disturbing than this overt collective display of psychological fascism is the lack of awareness to understand the rigours of professional sport or at very least empathise with the simple fact that things won't always go to plan. And of course hitting the wall will always garner a myriad of responses. He's still a kid, has a lot of learning to do and will no doubt begin to make further improvement and inroads within the next few years.
anon
Guest
For sure, I blame his parents too for creating a young man of such weak character. He's free to quit tennis and play video games any time he wants. No-one has a gun to his head forcing him to play. Go try out for the NBL if that's your love.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
I know plenty of teenagers who have grown up in Canberra - I have 3 of them - and none of them or their friends have the arrogant, self centred attitude of Nick Kyrgios. I live about a kilometre away from where Nick learnt to play tennis. Whatever personality he has developed is purely his own bizarre concoction of trying to be his version of cool. Not sure if Kyrgios will ever make the top echelon of tennis as he hasn't got the will, desire, passion, application or grit to fight his way to the top.
Kate Smart
Expert
Thanks Darren for your comment. The blog article you mention sounds interesting. I take your point that as Kant is about reason that suggests planning and Kyrgios is operating on gut feeling rather than on some preplanned path. I really don't think anyone could plan out what we've seen from him over the last year or two.
Kate Smart
Expert
Thanks for the comment anon. By what you've said growing up in Canberra sounds as damaging as growing up in Bundoora, where he lived in Melbourne a few years ago! Now it makes sense why he lived there.
Kate Smart
Expert
Thanks for the comment, PC. Who knew growing up in Canberra could be so damaging!
BrainsTrust
Guest
Kyrgios parents made him play tennis above his first love basketball. I think he got his passion for basketball from the NBA video game. NRL players seem to be into rapper bling its nothing unusual these days.
Darren L
Roar Rookie
The argument has merit. The problem is with us wanting stars to be driven to be their absolute best. My favourite sentence is: `even if he is not consciously aware of doing so'. Do you think? Still I might posit an alternative. I read an interesting blog recently that talked about three organisation models - bureaucracy (privileges formal authority), mertiocracy (privileges knowledge) and adhocracy (privileges decisive/intuitive action). This is seen to be a progression but the argument is all three are required in organisations. These are organisational models but, as such, greatly impact our mindset. Kant would fit will with meritocracy for me, in that, if you have the right nformation you can make a reasoned decision. But this is very left brain thinking. No matter how much information there is quite often decisiveness to act and learn is required. This seems quite apt for Krygios he just does - but he seems to be improving as a person as a result. Maybe rather than looking back to the Age of Reason for an explanation, Krygios is more gut feel kind of guy whose actually very much in tune with the times?
Mad Max
Guest
Was at the Aus Open yesterday and watch Kyrios practice for half an hour. He's just a kid who's trying to have fun, laugh and entertain others. He clearly didn't develop some discipline that we are accustomed to from tennis players, especially those who are awesome ... and he is awesome. He came out to the practice court with 4 of his mates for a hit, it was refreshing. I hope he only changes a little bit and keeps doing the unpredictable.
PC
Guest
Smart. Kate. Smart. I am with Peeko. Intelligent article. Knowing some people who grew up in Canberra the trials and tribulations of growing up in the nations capital, albeit a small country town, is fraught with identity challenges. Look all adolescence is challenging but I am sure Nick will overcome any perceived social inadequacies (or at least those placed on him by others) and flourish through whatever form of "passion" carries him onwards in life. All the best in he Aus open Nick.
peeeko
Guest
an intelligent in depth analysis and only gets 2 comments. yet the article 2 days ago gets 500 and is pure clickbait
anon
Guest
Nick certainly can be a Kant at times. I joke. He's basically harmless. He's a strange guy that grew up in the Canberra suburbs that desperately wants to be anything but that fat kid from Canberra. He mimics the strut and swagger of a basketball player, got the gold chains, got the brooding tough guy attitude (all those tennis lessons in suburban Canberra will make a kid grow up fast yo). It's all a bit of a joke. Drop the facade. 20 years ago he would have been ribbed mercilessly by his mates until he dropped these ridiculous pretenses. If you gave him a choice between a Wimbledon title and street cred' I think he'd take the street cred'. I'm just waiting for him to break out in an American accent. Why not. Go the whole hog.