Rose Namajunas is an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) champion. Not everybody likes, or even approves of, MMA. That’s not the point. The point is Rose’s attitude toward life and the world.
Counterposition to the persona of most MMA participants (if not most of the world), Rose isn't concerned about the way the world sees her. She's concerned about the way she sees the world. Consider the following from an article about Namajunas: “Spend time with her, and you don't hear about the sustainability of her title reign; you hear about the sustainability of the way people live. About setting up a system to teach urban dwellers how to create and maintain livable gardens in big cities, how to grow their own food and live off the land. About being kinder to the Earth and to each other.”
Self-interest is a given. Every living being has self-concerns. The issue is to what extent one balances that with concern for others and the earth. Self-concern does not have to be the first and only one. To be sure, a person needs to be healthy (body-mind-spirit) to effectively minister to the needs of others. The key recognitions are that every individual is just as important or worthy as I, and that if we don’t take care of the world, we’ll all be sunk.
What makes one either a Rose Namajunas or a Pablo Escobar (Columbian narcoterrorist who cared only about himself)? Philosophers and theologians can debate that ad infinitum, but the more important question is: what values do I want to guide my life? As more people strive to embrace the Rose-attitude, the world will be measurably improved.
