Life's An Amazing Race

“Congratulations, you’re team No. 1, you’re the first team to arrive.”

If you’re a certified reality show fanatic, you can easily recognize those familiar words of Phil Keoghan, host of the hit reality show AMAZING RACE. He usually utters those words, every time the first team arrives at the pit stop of each leg of the race.

The AMAZING RACE is just one of the many foreign reality television game shows invading our local television scene . It is a game show produced by CBS in the US in which teams of two race around the world in competition with other teams.Contestants strive to arrive first at the end of each leg to avoid the possibility of elimination. Unfortunately, in an elimination race, the last pair to arrive gets eliminated. Teams are progressively eliminated until three teams are left. At that point, the team who arrives first in the final leg wins the much-coveted one million dollar prize.

As a contest mechanic, the contestants will travel to different countries and various continents until they will reach the final destination – the final pit stop- which is the culmination of the entire race . At the initial race, they will be given initial directions on the first place to go to get the next clue. In order to reach the destination, the team will travel or drive by themselves, relying only on the information they can get from the travel map, clues and directions and some by asking information from the folks living in the area. Route markers also serves as helpful hints for them to reach the exact destination. But along the way, the race doesn’t guarantee an easy journey. Aside from the difficulty of reaching the exact spot, there are physically-demanding tasks that should be accomplished in order to be handed a clue for the next destination. These tasks come in the form of DETOUR, ROADBLOCKS,YIELD AND FASTFORWARD.

A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. Teams must successfully complete one of the tasks described on the clue in order to receive their next clue.

A Roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. Before heading into a Roadblock, teams read a vague clue about the task to come, e.g., "Who’s really hungry?" (for an ostrich-egg eating challenge), or "Who wants to get down and dirty?" (for a task involving making mud bricks).

Yield allows any one team to force another team to stop racing for a predetermined amount of time.

The Fast Forward allows the team that receives it to skip all remaining tasks on that leg of the race and proceed directly to the Pit Stop.

Admittedly, I first ignored the show when it was shown over a local channel. I find it senseless for cameras to follow infamous personalities who keeps on running and running as if there’s no tomorrow. It was only when I am able to sit down and started watching the show from start to end that I am able to appreciate the excitement that it can entice to its would-be viewers. I began to feel the thrill of watching teams compete with each other, outsmarting each other by courageously doing each tasks, racing as they hurtle with time, and even doing dirty tricks just to be the first team to land on the pit stop mat.

But I realized that aside from the excitement it can bring, the show offers a clear picture of our daily complexities in life. That looking in a deeper light, the show conveys similarities to our journey in this temporal world towards a destination.

One AMAZING RACE episode that I can still remember is that when a couple decided to give up their backpack so they can run fast and land first at the pit stop. Those extra baggages in their back hamper them from running as fast as they can to win the race. The symbolic giving up of backpack could mean giving up material things for a higher gain. Giving up things for a nobler purpose. I’m sure letting go of these things isn’t easy but it’s the only and the surest way not to be left behind and win the race.

Majority of us in this modern and hedonistic world, are pack rats who like to collect and transport stuffs. In our journey in life we tend to bring extra baggages that will make our journey tedious and tiring, uncomfortable, complicated and less enjoyable. We are overshadowed by the importance that it can provide us that we always brought them along wherever we go. These extra baggages come in different forms and sizes. It could be unfulfilled dreams and desires, failed relationships, shameful and dark past, unreconciled relationships, strong materialistic pursuits, greed for fame and power, fear, unresolved guilt, strong need for approval. The list is endless. What most of us failed to realize is that those extra weight could deter us from winning our race in life.

Relating to life, DETOURS are life crossroads. Situations wherein we are torn between a decision and options. Difficult moments to decide what in our life are worth letting go and worth keeping. An inspiration I browsed from www.authenticity-road.com states that life is a highway with roads which can be maddeningly circuitous, boringly linear, painfully narrow, amazingly wide, sadly short, or, interminably long. In life, there are several pathways laid before us that we find it difficult and confusing to decide what path to take. Due to uncertainty of our decisions, there is an accompanying risk in possibly making the wrong choice.

ROADBLOCKS are life situations that will test our independence and our courage to let go of our co-dependency and attachments – our attachment to people, materials things and places. One unforgettable roadblock task I watched happened in India that required the African American wife to give up her hair in exchange of a clue. Giving up her crowning glory is hard for the woman but she decided to let go of her attachment because that’s the only way to continue the race. The hapless husband was brought to tears. In the end, the sacrifice is worth the effort because they won the race. This is probably what author Mike Murdock refers as “experiencing a season of pain to create an eternity of gain.”

YIELDS comes in the forms of difficult people who will pull us down. In our life, there will always be negative people who will pissed us off and make our life miserable. These people will be an inevitable part of our journey so its just in the manner of how we handle them that lie the challenge. According to Donna Beal, “Difficult people are God’s sandpaper to smooth out the rough edges of our personalities.”

FASTFORWARD are life’s unexpected blessings and surprises. They comes in the forms of life’s extra comfort and convenience and answered prayers. Situations that will give us reason to look up to heaven and say “Thank you, Lord.”

God intended each one of us to enjoy our journey. He wanted us to travel light so we won’t be having difficulty carrying our backpack. He desires us all to enjoy every moment of our journey by journeying with Him and allowing Him to direct us to the right path. One beautiful promise can be found in Jn 8:12 when He said, “I am the Light of the World, anyone who follows Me will not walk in the dark; he will have the light of life.” He gives us DIRECTIONS for us to reach our destinations. In the Bible, Jesus said, “I am the Way, The Truth and The Life” (Jn 14:16). He wants us to recognize Him in the face of ordinary people because He is with us in our daily walk.

But due to our human frailties, we tend to run so fast that we miss the joy that goes with our journey. We are so preoccupied with the daily hustle and bustle of living, we hurtle with time as if life is a race and there will be no tomorrow. Even though God sent us clear directions by giving us signs, maps and route markers, still we stumble in choosing the wrong path. The enjoyable walk in our journey becomes a race always battling with time. Worst of all, like the disciples in the Road to Emmaus, we didn’t notice God walking with us. We only notice Him when we fall.

Brothers and sisters, our Catholic faith dictates that our life on this earth is a temporary journey and that we are only stewards of our life. Even though in this life, we all travel in different paths, follow different directions and embark on different journeys, in the end, we are heading towards one destination – our eternal home. Let us allow Jesus to direct us towards the right path. Let us allow Him to be our tour guide and open our hearts for Him to be our sole travel companion. After all, in the end, what matters when we came face to face with our Heavenly Father is for Him to smile at us and say, “Congratulations, my son, you’ve ran a good race.”