For some reason it seems to be in our nature as humans to follow the path of least resistance. At least most people appear to live their lives that way. They choose to take the easy way out of everything, even if it means they will eventually have to deal with an avalanche of consequences for not facing their problems head on. Wrestlers are not like most people.

I have a great deal of respect and admiration for anyone who chooses this sport and labors tirelessly to reach their goals. Being a wrestler requires making sacrifices that few people can imagine. It means giving up your favorite foods for months at a time. It means pushing yourself to your physical limits on a daily basis. It means giving up precious time with your friends and family. But most of all it means giving up the option of traveling the path of least resistance.

Wrestlers are a rare breed. While most people go out of their way to avoid discomfort of any kind, wrestlers choose to seek out hardship and adversity. Why? Because once they do it, they learn that the only way to reach the light is through the darkness. They know the human spirit can endure untold pain and suffering, yet emerge even stronger than it was before.

I hadn’t thought about wrestling in such philosophical terms for a long time, until a few days ago when I came across a story about about young man named Richard Jensen. Without giving away too much, Jensen was a high school wrestler who found himself taking the path of least resistance after he graduated. After losing 15 years of his life to drug addiction and jail, he was reborn as a college wrestler at the age of 36.

Watch this two part video. It chronicles the story of a young man’s fall from grace, his journey into darkness and his return to the light.