Human 27: Nic White

Professional rugby player

Nic White has had a rugby career to be envied. He has earned more than 80 Super Rugby caps and won a championship with the ACT Brumbies, has played 2 seasons in France with Montpellier where he won the Challenge Cup, has won both the English Premiership and European Champions Cup with the Exeter Chiefs, and has represented the Wallabies more than 40 times. Nic is a husband to Mel, a father to Leo and Sonny, and apparently didn’t speak a word until he was 4 years old… as his former house mate, I’m in a strong position to tell you that he is certainly making up for that now.

Nic is a human mammal. Here are his thoughts:

What brings you the most joy in life?

My wife, being a Dad, and winning trophies.

What does success mean to you?

Being content with your life. Being a good husband, father, son and brother.

What do you see as your greatest achievement?

My family - not a day goes by where I don’t pinch myself.

What are you most grateful for?

Being born into the family I have and all the things that have come from that - I’ve had a pretty good run so far!

What is something most people don’t know about you?

I was a long distance runner growing up.

Who or what has had the biggest influence on your life?

My Dad. I hope to have the same impact on my boy’s lives.

What do you regret?

Lots of things. But I’m happy with my ‘now’, so I wouldn’t go back and change anything.

Has there been a defining moment in your life? Can you tell us about it?

Becoming a Dad. It changes the way you look at the world. You have so much more love… and fear.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Be patient. Stick at it.

What is the most important thing we can teach kids in school?

Tolerance.

What do you doubt most?

Myself.

What is the role of luck in our lives?

We’re pretty lucky to have been born…

Do you have a favourite quote? What is it? Why do you like it?

‘It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog’… I’m a scrum-half, I think you can see the appeal.

What would you do with your life if you had unlimited financial resources?

Find a group of extremely intelligent people and task them with ways to better the world.

What concept/fact/idea should every human on the planet understand?

A balanced diet.

Do human beings have free will?

I hope so.

Do you believe in God?

No.

Could we be living in a simulated universe?

No.

Will the continual development of technology have a net positive or negative influence on humanity?

Positive I hope, for my kid’s sake.

What is the single greatest achievement of humanity?

Language.

What do you see as the biggest existential threat to humanity?

Ourselves.

What does it mean to live a good life?

A good life should equal happiness. And to be missed when you’re gone.

What is a good death?

Old and cognisant. My wife and I hope to tap out together.

Thanks for your time, Nic!

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