Earlier in the year, I observed three points about myself:

1. Most of my melancholic moments are caused from poor social interactions.
2. I become irritable if I do not exercise every day.
3. I feel extraordinary playing team sports.

It only recently clicked that the third observation is the obvious conclusion of the first two.

For most of my life, I grew up playing single sports: table tennis, badminton, or running. Single as you generally compete by yourself, usually against another individual. These sports, while tremendous opportunities for growth, can become lonely.

Team sports offer the benefits of exercise but additionally the wonders of teamwork and social ties. These cannot be understated. The exhilaration of working together to achieve a shared, communal goal is incredible. Combine that with the endorphins of exercise and… you get ecstasy.

It is curious that the popular running anime ‘Run With The Wind’, is meaningful in a large part due to the athletes training as a group and overcoming struggles together. Perhaps there is something in shared struggle that is inherently beautiful.