With Glowing Hearts
*Beginning in 2010, I began a bi-weekly column, “From Richard’s Oft Cluttered Desk” which appears every other Wednesday.
The 2010 Winter Olympics are about to begin and my how we’ve missed you so. I will never forget my first Olympics. I wasn’t a competitor, just a kid watching the 1992 Summer Olympics, the year Barcelona hosted. I remember watching the diving events on television in our living room. I remember because I was in awe that it was outside. I marveled at the beauty.
Then another night we were watching women’s gymnastics. Our family watched as American Shannon Miller graced the floor with her amazing abilities. This is where the competitor in me comes out. My sister and I immediately went to the backyard and started doing our own versions of the floor routine and the vault. It was an entertaining site for many, I’m sure. But it was partly sport and wholly excitement.
Many kids around the world grow up dreaming of becoming an Olympian. I did. As the XXI (21st) Olympiad gets set to light the world, I am reminded of a lot of things about what matters in the world. The theme of these 16 days is: “With Glowing Hearts.” Anytime that flame is lit, my idealism comes alive. The athletes prove that we are one world and we can live and prosper together. I hope I see that over these two weeks.
But the more and more I look at it, the more I see the Games are losing their peace. Just last week, American ice-skater Johnny Weir had to change his costume because of threats he and his designer were getting over the fur he was using. Yes it was real fur.
I can understand and I certainly respect animal rights groups’ absolute right in protesting and drawing attention to the use of real animal fur, but they are stealing what should be and could be the brightest athletic achievement for Weir. Both Weir and his designer received hate mail. Is that where we’ve come? Is that as far as we’ve come as a society? To move past honest debate and respect for personal choice to sending hate mail?
I feel sorry for Johnny. I also feel sorry for the people who sent the letters. Passion is great. Honest debate is necessary. But anger and hatred, violence and threats of disruptions distorts the real issue. So Johnny made the smart choice in changing his costume. In doing so, the little kid in me cried. I was again back in my backyard not able to do cartwheels, but I still kept trying. I still ran, put my hands down and hoped I could get my legs over.
The Olympic dream is about coming together in piece, despite our differences, to prove, that once again, we can come together in peace. I hope this is just a blimp on an amazing 16 days. I hope the world sees the glowing hearts coming from Vancouver instead of hated and anger. The world needs it.
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