Past #1: Majak Daw [Part II] - 54 NM games/43 NM goals - delisted end '20 - SSP selection for MFC '21 - retired mid-'22

[Billy Not Really]

Post the finished work when you get around to doing it. I’m sure many would like to see it!

Man, pressures on I guess...

Now I have to do it lol.

 

[NoWozzas]

Whats your insta Wozza? I might do an illustration of Maj just cos I feel like it, I don't draw enough footy related stuff cos it usually comes out pretty good.

If you don't mind I might use one of your photos as reference or inspiration cos I really like 'em.

I’d absolutely love that!

I post on my personal account but recently started an account just for my sports photography. Instagram handle is: maddiegreenphotos

I can’t wait to see the final product when you’re done.

And thank you everyone for your kind words.

 

[blackshadow]

Massive side eye at whoever is briefing Chip Le Grand at the moment. Whoever that is, they're on my shit list. Not helping.

Homer is lower than a ****ing worm

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

[RobZombie]

I'm in Werribee.
Majak himself, and his family are based out here.

A couple of days ago, one of his former teachers posted this:

--
About five years ago, I was walking out of 7/11 in Werribee. I had parked right in front of the door and Majak was walking in.

He said hello, as always, he asked how I was and how the family was doing.

I said to him, “Yeh, all good, there’s my young bloke”, pointing at my car.
He replied, “Ahh Liam!”
I responded, “No, that’s Eamonn.”
The next minute blew me away.

Maj turned to me and said “No way! He can’t be that big, can I say hello?”
“Of course!”
Maj spun on the spot, stuck his big head in the window and put his hand out. Eamonn took his hand and after a few short introductions commented...
“Funny, your hand is the same colour as mine on the inside” while pointing at Majak’s palm.
With the biggest smile Majak said,
“Yes it is! We are more the same than most people think.” Eamonn was wide eyed and enamoured.

They had a little chat, a bit of a giggle and Majak popped back up.
Turning to me he said,
“You have a pretty smart kid there Mr O’Mahoney, Sean, you know, Sir”

It was to this day, my favourite moment of kid/man/dad/student/adult/friend. I learnt more in that one little moment than I can describe.

Your impact, influence and immediacy is profound.

Love you Maj. Heal well.
--


Lovely sentiments.

I’m not crying, you’re crying.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Merry Christmas Maj.

Although highly unlikely, I hope you can get out of hospital for the day to spend it with your family!

 

[Groin guru]

I'm in Werribee.
Majak himself, and his family are based out here.

A couple of days ago, one of his former teachers posted this:

--
About five years ago, I was walking out of 7/11 in Werribee. I had parked right in front of the door and Majak was walking in.

He said hello, as always, he asked how I was and how the family was doing.

I said to him, “Yeh, all good, there’s my young bloke”, pointing at my car.
He replied, “Ahh Liam!”
I responded, “No, that’s Eamonn.”
The next minute blew me away.

Maj turned to me and said “No way! He can’t be that big, can I say hello?”
“Of course!”
Maj spun on the spot, stuck his big head in the window and put his hand out. Eamonn took his hand and after a few short introductions commented...
“Funny, your hand is the same colour as mine on the inside” while pointing at Majak’s palm.
With the biggest smile Majak said,
“Yes it is! We are more the same than most people think.” Eamonn was wide eyed and enamoured.

They had a little chat, a bit of a giggle and Majak popped back up.
Turning to me he said,
“You have a pretty smart kid there Mr O’Mahoney, Sean, you know, Sir”

It was to this day, my favourite moment of kid/man/dad/student/adult/friend. I learnt more in that one little moment than I can describe.

Your impact, influence and immediacy is profound.

Love you Maj. Heal well.
--


Lovely sentiments.

Thanks for sharing. The response to the palm comment is exceptional. What a guy.

 

[Billy Not Really]

I’d absolutely love that!

I post on my personal account but recently started an account just for my sports photography. Instagram handle is: maddiegreenphotos

I can’t wait to see the final product when you’re done.

And thank you everyone for your kind words.

Definitely following you now

Majak

• Billy Not Really
• Dec 24, 2018
• majak daw nmfc

I'm not 100% with how this turned out, went overboard in a few spots and doesn't feel as three dimensional as I'd like, but hopefully it does the big man some justice with how he looks.

 

[Black2Blue]

Merry Christmas Maj.

Although highly unlikely, I hope you can get out of hospital for the day to spend it with your family!

He will certainly spend the day tomorrow with his family. My friend was just with him and asked me to join him but I declined. But he said he has come out of surgery well although won't be mobile for some time. I can report that the care and support is much appreciated.

 

[Black2Blue]

That's my point.

I'm not even comfortable with people calling his actions the result of "mental illness". As if that explains something.

I've known kids that have grown up on a mish and then ended up with a chance to play professional football. And it was a head **** for them. A massive culture shock. (The AFL is even more full on than NRL too.) Some had bad endings. Not all of them, you wouldn't necessarily say it was mental illness either and I'm not necessarily talking about suicide or whatever. You just don't know what drives people.

Have you, Val or any of you, ever lost it (in any number of ways) and done some really stupid or ****** up stuff? Then afterwards when you try to sort your self out and examine your own behaviour, realised how little you understood about what was driving you. How little you understood yourself. (Or even had the same experience with really courageous things you didn't think you were capable of.)

Let alone trying to explain someone else's behaviour.

This is the issue that Maj's family and community aren't comfortable with, from what I've been hearing. Within the South Sudanese community, the term 'mental illness' is perceived differently to the traumatic effects of war and the refugee experience, so there has been a lot of unhappiness, even anger, about the public discussion around mental illness and Maj's situation. Australian society might be in the process of coming to terms with the complexities of mental illness but there is another layer of cultural and historical factors affecting the South Sudanese and other refugee communities. And Maj is one of the young generation 'caught in between' his Australian and South Sudanese identities, so negotiating this can get very messy.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

He will certainly spend the day tomorrow with his family. My friend was just with him and asked me to join him but I declined. But he said he has come out of surgery well although won't be mobile for some time. I can report that the care and support is much appreciated.

Fantastic to hear mate and really appreciate the update.

It’s good to hear that the support is appreciated. For all of us around these parts words of support and appreciation are the only things we can give!

He has given us so many fantastic moments on the field and off it over the years. Nothing but love for the big fella!

 

[Jasemon]

He will certainly spend the day tomorrow with his family. My friend was just with him and asked me to join him but I declined. But he said he has come out of surgery well although won't be mobile for some time. I can report that the care and support is much appreciated.

So heartwarming to hear this. I have not posted at all since hearing this terrible news about Maj. I must admit to being seriously rocked and emotional for a few days, and I'm sure I will continue to be. To be honest I haven't felt comfortable or sure in what I wanted to say. Already so many people have shared so many kind words of love and support. Our community is strong.

I want to say however that it truly feels like a miracle that the big guy is still with us and I'm not one that prescribes to miracles.
I'd say he's still with us for a reason, not necessarily football. There would have been a lot of pressure in Maj's life from many different areas and hopefully now he can begin to find the peace that's been missing. No media, no expectations, just love and acceptance. Maybe he wasn't able to see it, but clear as day, the profound, positive effect he's had on so many people from just being himself was there to see always. It was like nothing ever bothered him, which perhaps was too much for him to bear. I've never met Maj but he's always radiated so much kindness, understanding and wisdom beyond his years. Such a friendly and easygoing guy. Like all North supporters I'll hold out for another miracle, slightly selfish and indulgent, and imagine him on the premiership dais accepting that medallion, however at the end of the day it means nothing if the healing's not coming first.
Get well Maj and hope to see that disarming, infectious smile again soon.

 

[GoNorth]

So heartwarming to hear this. I have not posted at all since hearing this terrible news about Maj. I must admit to being seriously rocked and emotional for a few days, and I'm sure I will continue to be. To be honest I haven't felt comfortable or sure in what I wanted to say. Already so many people have shared so many kind words of love and support. Our community is strong.

I want to say however that it truly feels like a miracle that the big guy is still with us and I'm not one that prescribes to miracles.
I'd say he's still with us for a reason, not necessarily football. There would have been a lot of pressure in Maj's life from many different areas and hopefully now he can begin to find the peace that's been missing. No media, no expectations, just love and acceptance. Maybe he wasn't able to see it, but clear as day, the profound, positive effect he's had on so many people from just being himself was there to see always. It was like nothing ever bothered him, which perhaps was too much for him to bear. I've never met Maj but he's always radiated so much kindness, understanding and wisdom beyond his years. Such a friendly and easygoing guy. Like all North supporters I'll hold out for another miracle, slightly selfish and indulgent, and imagine him on the premiership dais accepting that medallion, however at the end of the day it means nothing if the healing's not coming first.
Get well Maj and hope to see that disarming, infectious smile again soon.

For someone who wasn’t sure what he wanted to say, you have certainly said it well.

 

[iSmack]

This is the issue that Maj's family and community aren't comfortable with, from what I've been hearing. Within the South Sudanese community, the term 'mental illness' is perceived differently to the traumatic effects of war and the refugee experience, so there has been a lot of unhappiness, even anger, about the public discussion around mental illness and Maj's situation. Australian society might be in the process of coming to terms with the complexities of mental illness but there is another layer of cultural and historical factors affecting the South Sudanese and other refugee communities. And Maj is one of the young generation 'caught in between' his Australian and South Sudanese identities, so negotiating this can get very messy.

Spot on.

I've mentioned this earlier, but to reinforce what was said by Black2Blue, the majority of languages in eastern Africa don't have a word for mental health in their vernacular.

Words akin to 'crazy' are often used as a way to describe the issue. Hence why the frustration in the south Sudanese and wider east African community with the coverage...we have a long way to go in regards to recognising mental health in our communities.

When a person from an underrepresented minority is successful, it can be a pretty lonely experience.

Like they say, it can be lonely up there.

Get well Maj....been watching YouTube re-runs of your career....

 

[Snake_Baker]

Camus and Absurdity

Many people believe that the most fundamental philosophical problem is this: what is the meaning of existence? That’s a question that Albert Camus dug into in his novels, plays, and essays.

His answer was perhaps a little depressing. He thought that life had no meaning, that nothing exists that could ever be a source of meaning, and hence there is something deeply absurd about the human quest to find meaning. Appropriately, then, his philosophical view was called (existentialist) absurdism.

What would be the point of living if you thought that life was absurd, that it could never have meaning? This is precisely the question that Camus asks in his famous work, The Myth of Sisyphus. He says, “There is only one really serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.” He was haunted by this question of whether suicide could be the only rational response to the absurdity of life.

But why did he think life was inherently without meaning? Don’t people find meaning in many different ways?

Take religion. It certainly seems to provide comfort to many people, but this could not amount to genuine meaning for Camus because it involves an illusion. Either God exists or he doesn’t. If he doesn’t, then it’s obvious why he could not be the source of life’s ultimate meaning. But what if God does exist? Given all the pain and suffering in the world, the only rational conclusion about God is that he’s either an imbecile or a psychopath. So, God’s existence could only make life more absurd, not less.

Of course, God is not the only possible source of meaning to consider. Think of our relations to other people—our family, our friends, our communities. We love and care for others in this cruel world, and perhaps that’s why we continue to live. That’s what gives existence meaning.

The problem here is that everyone we know and love will die some day, and some of them will suffer tremendously before that happens. How is that anything but absurd?

Before everyone gets too depressed, let’s think about some possible solutions to the problem. Let’s assume, with Camus, the absurdity of the quest for meaning. Let’s assume that any route we attempt to find meaning in the world will be for naught. They are all dead ends, so to speak. How do we avoid the conclusion that suicide is the answer?

Consider Nietzsche’s approach. Like Camus, he thought that life was devoid of intrinsic meaning. But he thought we could give it a kind of meaning by embracing illusion. That's what we have to learn from artists, according to Nietzsche. They are always devising new “inventions and artifices” that give things the appearance of being beautiful, when they’re not. By applying this to our own lives, we can become “the poets of our lives.” Could this be a possible solution?

The solution Camus arrives at is different from Nietzsche’s and is perhaps a more honest approach. The absurd hero takes no refuge in the illusions of art or religion. Yet neither does he despair in the face of absurdity—he doesn't just pack it all in. Instead, he openly embraces the absurdity of his condition. Sisyphus, condemned for all eternity to push a boulder up a mountain only to have it roll to the bottom again and again, fully recognizes the futility and pointlessness of his task. But he willingly pushes the boulder up the mountain every time it rolls down.

You might wonder how that counts as a solution. Here’s what I think Camus had in mind. We need to have an honest confrontation with the grim truth and, at the same time, be defiant in refusing to let that truth destroy life. At the end of Myth, Camus says that we have to “imagine Sisyphus happy.”

Perhaps my imagination is limited, but I’m not sure I find that thought comforting. Exactly how does confronting the absurdity of his situation give Sisyphus a reason to keep going? Maybe it’s not supposed to be comforting. But maybe it’s all that there is.

So, what do you think? Is life truly absurd? If so, can there be any point in living?

In the end, I guess my own approach to life’s absurdity is similar to Peggy Lee’s, who says that “if that’s all there is, then let’s keep dancing. Let’s break out the booze and have a ball, if that’s all there is…”

https://www.philosophytalk.org/blog/camus-and-absurdity

 

[Snake_Baker]

Camus (one of my heroes) also stated that, "The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion", and ultimately this is the mantra by which I live my life.

The darkness ascends upon us all at times throughout our lives, and I believe the ultimate meaning of life is to live your life in such defiance of the darkness that you burn as bright white light.

Your only option is to go all the way.

 

[Gold Member]

Merry Christmas guys.
Glad to read that Maj's surgery went well, the news of which is a little Christmas cheer for North fans and the wider football community.
I'm glad this news came from this thread, not via mainstream media.

 

[Kappa]

So heartwarming to hear this. I have not posted at all since hearing this terrible news about Maj. I must admit to being seriously rocked and emotional for a few days, and I'm sure I will continue to be. To be honest I haven't felt comfortable or sure in what I wanted to say. Already so many people have shared so many kind words of love and support. Our community is strong.

I want to say however that it truly feels like a miracle that the big guy is still with us and I'm not one that prescribes to miracles.
I'd say he's still with us for a reason, not necessarily football. There would have been a lot of pressure in Maj's life from many different areas and hopefully now he can begin to find the peace that's been missing. No media, no expectations, just love and acceptance. Maybe he wasn't able to see it, but clear as day, the profound, positive effect he's had on so many people from just being himself was there to see always. It was like nothing ever bothered him, which perhaps was too much for him to bear. I've never met Maj but he's always radiated so much kindness, understanding and wisdom beyond his years. Such a friendly and easygoing guy. Like all North supporters I'll hold out for another miracle, slightly selfish and indulgent, and imagine him on the premiership dais accepting that medallion, however at the end of the day it means nothing if the healing's not coming first.
Get well Maj and hope to see that disarming, infectious smile again soon.

Dont thank miracles, thank the men and women who were the 1st responders and the extremely talented and hard working surgeons at the hospital, they are the life savers.

 

[Moti]

He will certainly spend the day tomorrow with his family. My friend was just with him and asked me to join him but I declined. But he said he has come out of surgery well although won't be mobile for some time. I can report that the care and support is much appreciated.

Thanks for the reports.

Quick question, regardless of why, is he in an ok head space considering? Some people can get really down when they have bad injuries, others can find a little light.


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[DarkPhoenix]

Impressed by the AFL website for once. Annual Christmas article, many times tongue in cheek, but when they got to North all we had was the following.

ALL YOUR CLUB WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS:
At a time like this football is very much pushed to the background as we pray for a return to health for Majak Daw.



Short, succinct and respectful.

Merry Christmas Maj, hope family are around you today and you realise just how much you are loved, not just by them but all of us.

 

[Sopwiths North]

Nicely said DP.

Merry Christmas Maj. You're in our hearts and thoughts today, and every day of this new journey. You're going to be whole again.

 

[roojor]

Dont thank miracles, thank the men and women who were the 1st responders and the extremely talented and hard working surgeons at the hospital, they are the life savers.

I am first responder believe me I have seen many people clinically passed away and brought to life without any explanation. That my friend can only be described as a miracle

 

[Kappa]

I am first responder believe me I have seen many people clinically passed away and brought to life without any explanation. That my friend can only be described as a miracle

So you saw people whose heart had stopped then it started again with no intervention? Have you informed the medical word that magic exists yet? They will be amazed to hear that

 

[Sopwiths North]

So you saw people whose heart had stopped then it started again with no intervention? Have you informed the medical word that magic exists yet? They will be amazed to hear that

Please take your negativity away and leave this thread. We're here to help one of our own heal.

roojor, thank you for all you do as a First Responder. I work in the field of veterinary medicine, and I too have seen some things that simply cannot be explained. I think it's completely fair and true to say we can have both. There is so much more to healing than just medicine.

 

[benbanjo]

Some of you need to pull your heads in, some real poor posting going on in this thread.

On [device_name] using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[roojor]

Y

So you saw people whose heart had stopped then it started again with no intervention? Have you informed the medical word that magic exists yet? They will be amazed to hear that

Yes heart stopped person had four blocked arteries was dying as we performed cpr