Hoops and hubris

I remember shooting some hoops with my neighbor back in eighth grade. He was a junior, and a star shooting guard on one of the best basketball teams in the state. One afternoon in his driveway, he rapidly fired five shots from distance, in each case hitting nothing but net. He looked at me and said: "Damn, I'm good!"

I was feeling that after turning in next week's column today. It's not everyone who can draw a direct analogy between the Dalai Lama and the state of the nation. Ten points for anyone who can correctly ascertain the fundamental point of the column from that hint.