Embracing Las Luchas
La Lucha, Spanish for ‘the struggle’, was a term used by Tejanos to describe the Battle of the Alamo.
Mexican wrestlers, known for their iconic masks, refer to themselves as lucha libres, or luchadores.
La lucha even found its way into the Batman comic series when Luchador Bane, a masked lucha libre and foe of the Dynamic Duo, makes an appearance in Batman '66, where he lords over lucha libre legends like El Santo and Mil Máscaras.
Bane is the only opponent who bests Batman– breaking his back inside the ring, where the backbreaker belongs.
Encountering the Epic
And of course, I purposely ‘fail to mention’ Jack Black’s comedy, Nacho Libre, about a silly lucha libre because, well that was just gross cultural appropriation– and I laughed my tail off.
But I won't mention Nacho Libre… except perhaps just this once?
La Lucha is one of the many examples of the word in Spanish being more elegant and possibly more descriptive than the English equivalent.
‘The struggle’ in English? That just sounds like something in between a hassle and a tussle. "La Lucha"? It sounds romantic, certainly an encounter with the epic, in one form or another.
This is one of the reasons I like and frequently use la lucha to describe not only the truly difficult and perhaps the impossible, but also the everyday, mundane tasks that challenge me, irritate me, and even draw me to them because they elude me.
So let us proclaim: We are all luchadores! Doesn't that already sound better than ‘we are all struggling’?
Every day, every hour, we are challenged and outwitted by a wide variety of luchas.
Let us don one of those lucha libre masks and enter the ring to face our opponent.
But here’s the deal about las luchas– they change all the time.
What was this year’s lucha may become last year's lucha by the time you figure out that it was your lucha in the first place.
Put another way, we should be asking ourselves, are we fighting the last war? What if our inner lucha libre puts on his costume, climbs up on the ropes surrounding the ring to fling himself onto his opponent, crushing him with the weight of our hopes, dreams, grievances, and fears?
But alas, the fighter lands nothing but an empty belly flop in the center of the ring.
No opponent there.
That menace left an hour ago to have dinner with his amigos at the cantina next door. Your inner luchador was fighting the last fight. This is almost always a losing proposition, Señor.
Part of embracing your own lucha is to get clear on what you should be struggling with, and which luchas have already left the building.
La Ley de La Lucha
Lucha Libre 101
It’s not just about the mask, the big belly, or even the spandex pants. There is oh, such much more. Step into the ring and I will offer you a bit of wisdom and guidance, so that you too, may learn the ways of the luchador.
Lucha o no Lucha?
Not every lucha is a lucha. The secret to fighting the good fight is to choose your battles wisely in the first place. I say this as someone who has gotten the figurative crap knocked out of me by entering the ring for luchas which were not even my luchas.
So Luchador rule número 1 is:
Learn to recognize which lucha you intend to face before you prepare yourself for the challenge.
Luchador número 129 is:
Never forget to wear a good mask. In fact, your costume is essential for being a good luchador. Engaging in struggles requires a proper attempt to psyche out your opponents, amaze your fans, and, amuse yourself. These elements are part of what makes la lucha so enduring.
Luchador número 130 is related to 129:
You must exaggerate everything, but especially your own pain and suffering. You must let everyone know just how much it all hurts. But most importantly for this rule, you must never forget to remind yourself how much pain you endure and what a great fighter you are to take on any and all of your own personal luchas.
This all leads to rule número 257– as you embrace your own luchas, please remember to also embrace the adoration that comes from all who see what you have done and how you have so bravely prevailed and conquered.
This is the essence of las luchas versus the same old ‘struggle.’ There is simply not enough pure grandeur in the latter.
Why embrace something that is not so grand and does not make us more magnificent in the eyes of others, but in particular, in our own eyes?
Yes, there are many reasons to embrace your luchas and to learn how to be a proper luchador.
But this road is not for everyone. If you enter that ring, you may get crushed by the weight of someone else’s struggle. Ultimately, every lucha can be a battle between your lucha and other luchas. This is the glory and the tragedy of las luchas. One luchador has to be crushed and another gets to be the crusher. Such is life.