If I Had a Personal Mascot, I Would Choose Wile E. Coyote
A mascot represents the attitude or tone a group or team wants to portray. Clemson University has the Tigers. Chicago has the Bears. Most mascots are a strong and confident symbolic representation of the team. So it would be understandable to roll your eyes and wonder why this bumbling fool that is the antithesis of a mascot and the archetype of repeated failure could possibly be a good choice as my mascot. In this case, Wile E. Coyote does not represent what I aspire to be, but represents what I never want to be again.
Let's look at this iconic cartoon character that has entertained generations. The Road Runner cartoon has one basic premise. The Road Runner gleefully runs around the desert and the coyote attempts to catch and eat him. The coyote is obsessed with catching the Road Runner. No matter what he tries or what elaborate plan he devises, he fails to achieve his goal. In every episode the coyote crashes to the bottom of ravines, blows himself up, or is pounded by falling rocks. It is hilarious because everyone except him can see he will never achieve his goal to catch the Road Runner. A normal coyote would quit this insane endeavor and find another source of food.
This coyote suffers from a mental obsession. All he can think about is the satisfaction of catching and devouring the Road Runner. No matter how many disasters occur, how many cliffs he falls off of, or how many times he gets blown up by his own actions, he believes the next time will be different. Every other aspect of his life becomes second to his obsessive quest. He spends countless hours devising plans and procuring tools to get the Road Runner. He isolates himself and is blind to the world around him. He ignores his health and safety. Failure after failure, bottom after bottom does not deter him from his insane pursuit. Albert Einstein said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results." No one would doubt that the coyote is blindly, insanely, obsessed and will continue to hit bottom after bottom. His situation will get progressively worse never better unless he quits. I believe the coyote was not always insane and I now know from experience he can regain his sanity. The first time he saw that delicious meal racing across the desert he just saw it as a quick fix to his hunger. I can only assume he had tasted that fine meat before and wanted that satisfaction again. Something must have happened to the coyote during that first chase that didn't happen to other coyotes. His sickness grew from a desire to an obsession over a period of time. Finally, it must have overwhelmed him.
As I look back on my active alcoholic days of drinking, I see the coyote in me. Now sober, when I stumble on the cartoon I don't see the humor others see. I feel sorrow for the coyote. I see a reflection of me as I once was.
Yes, the coyote is the perfect mascot for me. It is a reminder of not triumph, but of tragedy. A tragedy I never want to experience again.
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