The Pride of Belfast

This weekend people in Northern Ireland, as well as throughout the world, said farewell to George Best, one of soccer's most beloved players. In many ways, his funeral was just as it would be for a member of the Royal Family. At 11AM, the city of Belfast came to a standstill in his honour, whilst many thousands of people lined the route of his funeral cortege. He was indeed a great sportsman.

Best gave the people of Belfast hope. In the midst of the darkness of their political struggles, people still found a common denominator when it came to 'their lad.' He gave them a sense of pride.

But George was no different than the rest of us in many ways. He was weak, just as we are. He had his own human frailties, just as the rest of us share. He had his own complexities that caused him to want to run away from himself. And sadly, he turned to alcohol as his escape.

He was a shy man and the idea of facing his celebrity status added weight to his already complex life.

But whatever man the public saw, he still possessed a depth and compassion for others, especially children. He contributed in so many ways to help others in need. Perhaps some of this was motivated by his recognition of his own weaknesses. And it was this compassion that has touched many of us so deeply.

All of us want to celebrate the feel-good experience of others. That's one of the reasons we're drawn to celebrities. We long to identify with their greatness.

Perhaps the weakness that Mr Best so openly showed to the world needs to be acknowledged by us as well. For just as it is when we see greatness in others and aspire to those heights, perhaps in seeing their lows we can aspire to rise above our own weaknesses.