Many writers have noted that Joe Paterno "lived only for family and football" and that he even said that he would probably die as soon as he retired from football coaching. Which he did, of course. They say that like it was something wonderful; how dedicated he was to his job as a football coach.
Sorry, I don't think so. To me that shows a very deeply flawed person. Someone who is so deeply defined by profession and only by profession, for whom the horizons of life are that narrow, has something very wrong with them. They are ignoring most of the broad spectrum that is life.
I don't disagree with you, in fact you have made a clear statement of values that I share, but I would have trouble expressing them as well. But I would carry it further and suggest that, while it is true that such a narrow objective in life has negative ethical implications, it seems to be the mental framework that is NECESSARY to "succeed" in so many circumstances of modern life--sports, business, politics. What does that say about our society, that in order to "succeed", it is often required that that we devote our entire selves to a narrow subset of goals? What does "success" really mean, and should we admire or criticize it? I find this a troubling question.
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