I recently had opportunity to watch a polo match.  Though I've never been a particular fan of the sport, an associate of mine invited me to spend an afternoon as a spectator at a few matches.  I learned a lot about polo and the people and horses that play it.

    One, the matches are very short:  four 7 1/2 minute periods.  Two, the horses are not always conventionally sized horses; they're bred specifically for playing polo.  Three, a polo field is 300 yards long, three times the length of a football (American football) field.  Four, although many very wealthy people play polo, many people of more limited means play it, too.  And so on.

    After a day on the "green," watching people play the game and observing the people who watch them playing, I was torn.  It's great that so many people find pleasure in this sport.  It's also wonderful that many people find fellowship and camaraderie in doing so.  Moreover, it's lovely that these 300 yards are not filled with more McMansions.

    On the other hand, I wished that a raffle being held at the event was held to raise money for outside charities and other organizations aiming to help the underprivileged and poorly resourced instead of the sponsoring polo club itself.  We've made it.  Let's help others do the same.

    Some of the most successful businesses I've seen are those that regularly allocate ten percent of their profits to charity.  That look beyond their own world.  That see a bigger picture to reality.

    Play on.