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hopes, inner light, joy, Olympics, opportunity, pride, represent, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, winning
I just read an article from Sports Illustrated that made me sad and angry at the same time. The gist of the article was the “poor showing” of the American athletes at the Olympics in the medal count. As I read, I had beautiful images before me of young men and women who all spoke of being thrilled at the opportunity to represent their country at this incredible event. Did they all hope for good outcome for themselves and their teammates? Of course! And were some expected to do better than they did? Certainly. But the faces that I saw most clearly were like those in one of the commercials about a small town in Ohio (I think) whose entire populace got up at 3:00AM to come together to watch the ladies cross-county skiing relay because one of their “own” was racing. There was a good chance that this four-person team would medal – even get the gold – but it was not to be. I watched the race, likely because of that commercial and the closeness of that community, feeling that I too was involved in their hopes. Their hometown heroine was first to race and did not perform as hoped. I believe the team came in fifth (ironically the position most denigrated in the article). What was obvious to me at the end of the race was the joy of those four in each other – no tears of regret or blame, no frowns, no grimaces – just clear pride in their country and their knowledge that each of them had done the best they could on that day in that race. And the memory of a moment in their lives when they had made America proud, medal or not.
As I noted above, the article was very outspoken about the number of our athletes who had finished fifth in their events. I wonder if the author might ever be considered the fifth best sports writer in the entire world and have some concept of how much work and energy would have to accompany that achievement. It seems we have not done a good enough job in some cases in teaching our youth that “it isn’t whether you win or lose but how you play the game.”
Sadness overcomes the anger now to think that we are more concerned with winning than with the way we comport ourselves. It is a hazard, I know, of living in the United States where there are so many ways in which we are privileged. It is my hope, however, that we never lose sight of what is best in us. I see it shine in that inner light that is so prevalent in our athletes this week as they do their best and know that it is always enough.
Last night watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics I felt the tiniest flicker of possibility. The enthusiasm on the beautiful young faces of the Korean delegation as they entered the stadium with their jackets just announcing KOREA made it impossible to find something separative about anyone. The cheers at their entrance by athletes from around the entire world, the beauty of the art installations, the wonder of the technological wizardry – so much made it possible to set aside any sense of politics. I was struck most of all by the human creation of doves of peace while Koreans sang John Lennon’s anthem “Imagine” in English.
Now that the Olympics are over I will have to find that good “brotherly [& sisterly] love” feeling in another way. I doubt I will find it on television where political messages will be flooding the airwaves in earnest for the next few months. I will be worrying about that, having just read an article about how many people now take in what they hear without reflecting on the validity of the message. Some wild claims will be made that ought to be followed up with references but probably won’t. As I finished the article, my eyes fell (honestly!) on the book Silence by Robert Sardello, which I picked up looking for solace. I read the following that is for me a good reason to return to silence as often as possible today to find out what I’m thinking, where it comes from, and how I feel about it. Just maybe it will also allow me to come back to trusting in a deeper way that God is in charge of the world.
Last night again I stayed up late watching amazing young people engage in sports. And again I was heartened to hear them tell not only of their joy at winning medals but also of their gratitude for the support of their teams, their coaches and all others who have supported them in their efforts. They also spoke of the privilege of representing their country at the Olympics – just being there, in such a “world community” as indescribable. In the face of all the negative events swirling around us daily in the news and in our neighborhoods, it is helpful to experience the worldwide cooperation that is evident in the contests in Rio.
I’m thinking this morning about something I heard last night while watching the Olympic men’s synchronized diving competition. One of the commentators mentioned that the dive just completed had taken 2.7 seconds to execute. Yes, that dive from a height of 30 meters that included at least two – or probably three – somersaults and maybe a twist before reaching and knifing through the water head first in a vertical position that caused very little splash took less than three seconds. Oh, and it was done by two men whose movements mirrored one another nearly – if not totally – perfectly.
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 