Welcome to 2020: Kobe Bryant, Coronavirus & The End of Victor Pride

Without question, 2020 has been the MOST confusing and disappointing year of my life.

…And what’s the worst part?

We’re only five months in!

What was suppose to be the start of a new and promising decade, turned into a nightmare overnight.

Things have been crazy.

It all started when my girlfriend sent me a text message that I would have never expected:

“Kobe Bryant died.”

Without hesitation, I immediately responded:

“It has to be a hoax”

Seconds later, I searched “Kobe Bryant” on Google and received confirmation.

“Kobe Bryant dies in helicopter accident.”

Countless emotions struck me all once.

I was shocked, sad, mad and in a state of disbelief.

It didn’t feel real.

Honestly, it still doesn’t.

Kobe was someone I admired.

Not just for his relentless work ethic, but for his mindset.

His eagerness to work harder than everyone else and constantly improve. 

His Muse documentary lit a fire in me that a tsunami couldn’t put out.

It changed me.

By the time the credits began rolling up the screen at the end, my thought process was altered.

I began looking at the world differently.

The most POWERFUL scene was when Kobe discusses how he had to create an alter ego.

He was dealing with some personal issues and needed to find a way to disconnect from them when he stepped on the basketball court.

He named his alter ego “The Black Mamba”.

From that day forward, the moment Kobe’s shoes touched the basketball court, he transformed into the Black Mamba.

The result?

He was a destructive and merciless competitor that dominated the NBA.

Kobe’s opponents felt helpless as he scored point after point.

It’s a beautiful thing to watch the way the alter ego allowed Kobe Bryant to organize his life and focus on what was most important at the moment: Win!

Watch the Muse documentary the first chance you get.

If it doesn’t motivate you, nothing will.

Period.

Rest in peace, Kobe Bryant.

Next, as if Kobe Bryant’s passing wasn’t tragic enough, the Coronavirus changes the world forever.

Never would I have expected to be part of a pandemic.

To be honest, I barely understood what a pandemic was.

But now I know.

It’s a monster.

A devil.

A disastrous and merciless evil force.

It’s purpose is to kill as many people as possible.

…And it’s succeeding.

It’s taking life after life without remorse.

I’m beginning to feel immune to it.

People are dying so rapidly and so often that I can’t even process the disappointment anymore.

What’s the worst part?

Besides social distancing, there isn’t much we can do.

We just have to wait and hope that it ends sooner than later.

You know what I can’t comprehend?

How the hell did it spread so FAST?!

Again, the world has changed forever.

If you think people were losing the ability to engage with others because of social media and smartphones, you haven’t seen anything yet.

I don’t care what anyone says…things will NEVER be the same after the Coronavirus pandemic.

Never.

Be smart and stay safe, my friend.

Last is the end of Victor Pride.

This was just the icing on the cake for me.

I couldn’t help but laugh at this point.

After Kobe’s passing and the Coranavirus, Victor Pride turning his life over to god was just too much for me.

Not because I don’t agree with his life decision.

I don’t see anything wrong with people turning their lives over to god.

With that said, I would have never expected this from Victor Pride.

The man was so dogmatic about his beliefs and views of the world.

I didn’t think anyone or anything could have influenced him and persuaded him to change.

Like many other people, I was wrong.

A couple weeks ago, I logged into Bold & Determined and saw a religious post by Victor.

He declared that he would no longer go by Victor Pride.

He will now go by his real name, Nick Kelly.

I respect Nick’s decision and think it’s a good thing that he’s trying to spread the good word.

But you know me, I’m always honest with you and have to admit that I just can’t accept it.

Something about it just seems odd to me.

My initial reaction was that someone hacked into his blog.

But just like the sad news about Kobe, I received confirmation that it was real.

Victor Pride is over.

All of the classic Bold and Determined articles have been removed.

His classic books are now available for free download.

What was once one of the greatest blogs in the history of the internet was instantly demolished overnight.

What the hell is going on in 2020???

I find it difficult to process everything that’s happen.

Though it feels as if things couldn’t get worse, you can’t help but wonder: “What’s next?”

If there’s one thing that we can learn from all this is that NOTHING is guaranteed.

Everything is subject to change.

I once heard a quote that didn’t make much sense to me:

“Never believe anything too much because there will always come a moment when it’s not true.”

Today, that quote makes more sense than a lot of things in life right now.

Talk soon,

Alex