I was dating a guy that was a huge wrestling fan and I'm

In the humble and self-aware words of Torrie Wilson, a woman who herself became an icon within the very world she once misunderstood, there lies a reflection of timeless wisdom: “I was dating a guy that was a huge wrestling fan, and I’m embarrassed to say it now but I used to make fun of him for watching it.” Though the statement appears simple, it carries within it the eternal lesson of understanding, humility, and the transformation of perspective. It speaks to how easily we mock what we do not yet know, and how often life leads us — through unexpected paths — to the very things we once dismissed.

To mock is to judge from ignorance, to see without seeing. In the beginning, Torrie Wilson viewed wrestling as many do — a spectacle, a performance too loud, too exaggerated, too far from what she valued. Yet the divine irony of life is that it often calls us to walk the road we once ridiculed, that we may learn empathy and reverence. Just as she once laughed at her partner’s passion, she would later find herself within that same world, not as an observer, but as a participant — breathing its energy, enduring its discipline, living its truth. Her “embarrassment,” then, is not shame for her past words, but gratitude for how far she has come — for having been humbled by experience, and awakened by understanding.

This transformation is one known to the wise of every age. The philosopher Socrates declared that true knowledge begins in the recognition of one’s own ignorance. Wilson’s confession mirrors that same awakening. Before she entered wrestling, she saw only its surface — the spectacle of muscle and motion. But when life drew her into its heart, she discovered its depth: the artistry of movement, the endurance of the body, the courage of those who perform night after night before roaring crowds. What she once mocked, she came to honor. Thus her quote becomes not merely a memory of romance, but a parable — of how pride blinds us, and how life, in its wisdom, teaches us to see again.

Consider the story of Saint Paul, who once persecuted the followers of the faith, believing them misguided. Yet on the road to Damascus, his eyes were opened — literally and spiritually — and the persecutor became the preacher. Though the worlds of saints and wrestlers may seem distant, the lesson is the same: the path from judgment to understanding is the path from blindness to vision. Those who mock in ignorance often find themselves humbled by destiny, for life has a way of drawing us into the very truths we reject, until we learn to see them as they are.

The origin of Torrie Wilson’s quote lies in her own unlikely journey — from a fitness model and outsider to a celebrated figure in World Wrestling Entertainment, where she became a performer and symbol of strength. Her laughter turned to respect, her mockery to mastery. She became part of the very world she once underestimated. Thus, her reflection is not one of guilt but of enlightenment — an acknowledgment that every passion deserves respect, and that the things we ridicule may contain the seeds of our own destiny. In this way, her story mirrors the ancient wisdom that humility is the first step toward greatness.

Her words also remind us of a deeper truth about love and connection. When she speaks of the man she once dated, she speaks also of how we treat the passions of others. Too often, we dismiss what others cherish simply because it is foreign to us. Yet to truly love another — whether friend, partner, or fellow human — is to seek to understand what moves their spirit. Mockery is the language of distance; curiosity is the language of love. Wilson’s transformation teaches that we draw closer to others not by agreement, but by respect — by daring to see through their eyes, even when we do not share their view.

Let this be the lesson: humility opens the gates to wisdom. When you encounter something you do not understand — a passion, a belief, a calling — resist the urge to mock or dismiss it. Instead, pause and ask, “What beauty lies within this that I do not yet see?” Life may one day place you within that very realm, so that you may learn the value of what you once rejected. The one who mocks is ruled by pride; the one who listens is guided by light.

Action to take: the next time you feel tempted to laugh at another’s joy, remember Torrie Wilson’s words. Step back. Ask questions. Observe with compassion. For in the end, every passion — whether for wrestling, art, or faith — is a doorway into meaning, and those who learn to honor the loves of others will find that their own world becomes larger, richer, and infinitely more human. Life, like love, humbles the proud and rewards the open-hearted; and the wisest of us, like Torrie herself, will one day look back and smile — not in mockery, but in understanding.