Our choices dictate the results

What connects these two men? They each had a brother standing there, in the vicinity, as one was handed a jail sentence and the other was crowned Canada’s darling.

It brings home the message, more than ever, that we are each other’s heroes – or villains. That, as powerless as we may sometimes feel in this crazy life we lead, the choices we make define who we are. We are our choices.

The humble and gracious Bilodeau credited his older brother, Frederic, who suffers from cerebral palsy and spends most of his days in a wheelchair, for giving him perspective and courage to overcome anything that came his way and triumph. “Even if it’s raining, I’ll take it, I’ll go train. He doesn’t have that option and he’s always smiling anyways,” he told the media.

In stark contrast, Earl Jones’ older brother, Bevan Jones, who was also defrauded of $1 million by his younger brother, told reporters that he doesn’t care if Earl Jones “rots in hell.”

In sports, as in life, there are many unknowns and sometimes the best laid plans go array and people who deserve retribution don’t see it and those who deserve severe punishment escape with a mere slap on the wrist. But, when it all boils down to it, how we choose to live our life will affect the outcome – and how we will be remembered. One stood tall on the podium, while the other bowed his head in shame. One brother basked in his brother’s love, while the other couldn’t even look his brother in the eyes. “We work out our karma through our choices” goes a Buddhist saying. Our choices define our lives and dictate the outcome.