I'm catching up on the Olympics. It's too bad. Not that I am catching up, but that I have to. Almost a week in, and I had watched none. Part of this is due to the fact that we got rid of our cable. Part of it comes from the change to alternate the summer and winter games so they are every two years. We always seems to be gearing up for the next one. I'd claim that most of it comes from being too busy. But are we really too busy?
Sean & I once stayed up all night in Israel to catch the Superbowl. We have become jaded. There are so many sporting events, bowls, and world championships that we no longer feel the importance. Where is the national pride with which I watched, mesmerized, the Miracle on Ice in 1980? How about the perfect 10 scored by Nadia Comaneci? I was taking gymnastics as a kid, and was fascinated. My eyes were glued to the television.
I have been watching the opening ceremonies. Hats off to the queen for jumping from that plane. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should look it up.) She's quite the trooper, an amazing woman who has opened two Olympics, Montreal and London. My eyes teared as the torch was passed and lit. Young athletes were nominated to "carry the torch for a new generation." From the previous generation to a future generation, the torch was passed, and lit. I challenge you to watch that without emotion.
The Olympics have already been fraught with controversy. I argue that this isn't so important. Of course it's important in the scheme of fair play. But it's controversial because we, even we old jaded people, believe in the Olympic dream. We believe, or desperately want to believe, that we can come together, without politics, peacefully, to dream the dream, and allow the true nature of sportsmanship and fair play win out over the politics and the hatred too often seen in the world.
I could go on about 1972, but that's for another blog entry. For now, I am embracing the dream for the next ten days. I hope you'll join me.
So you made me watch the Queen jump out of a helo. For the record everyone, that was a LALO jump - low altitude low opening. It has been a challenge living here in Royal Canada as a formerly anti-royal American. It has challenged a number of things I thought I believed.
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