Olympian effort needed to change our mindset

“I think there ought to be a club in which preachers and journalists could come together and have the sentimentalism of the one matched with the cynicism of the other. That ought to bring them pretty close to the truth.” – Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971)

 

There is a surreal quality to news bulletins these days. On the one hand there is the supreme sporting talent on display at the Olympics. On the other is war, destruction, looming financial chaos and brewing hostilities being exploited for political gain. On most days, the main news is dominated by the results and achievements of Olympians during the course of the day. For many years, these people have been dedicating their lives to training and achieving to perform on the world stage. For this reason, they deserve most certainly the spotlight and recognition of the media.

However, to hear them coming before some of the other reports of what is happening in the world has an incongruous feel to it.

On a trip to Israel this week, the Republican candidate in November’s US presidential election, Mitt Romney, stated that the United States under his stewardship would “not look away” in the case of an Israel/Iran conflict. He added, “In the final analysis, of course no option should be excluded.”

The implications of this statement are terrifying in light of the recent cranking up of the face-off between these two states. The New York Times, quoting an unimpeachable White House source, recently revealed that it was only through the deployment of a high-level cyber attack that Iran was prevented from already possessing nuclear weapons.

The fact that the US would allow this information to be released is indicative of a stance. Of course, Romney is playing politics. He is eager to attract a Jewish vote in the November ballot but also the evangelical Christians, who believe that the formation of the Jewish state in 1948 was the fulfilment of a prophecy made in the book of Genesis.

For those of us who are more than happy to wait a few years more for the end of the world, Romney’s words are chilling. To hear them buried in a news bulletin, an aside after the Olympics have been fully reported, smacks of a confused news agenda. Similarly, the continuing deterioration of the situation in the Eurozone has been relegated to ‘also-ran’ status all over the world. Given the implications for people’s lives, this would seem an unwise move.

I must recognise however, that there is another school of thought on this issue. Whether it is a megalomaniac millionaire seeking the presidency of the US or faceless bureaucrats taking decisions in back rooms, ordinary people really have no choice but to endure the consequences of these peoples’ actions and decisions, so should they actually have to hear about them day in day out?

While the Olympics are the culmination of years of work for those taking part and in some cases feel like life and death affairs, to most of us, they are a nice diversion that doffs the hat to great human achievement. They are the kind of thing we can watch on television and feel a sense of pride at the ability and potential of our species.

The opening ceremony of the London games was a grand affair created by artists of many types. Throughout the games we will see astounding athleticism. In fact, the only negative aspects of the games are money, greed, sponsorship, cheating and bribery. It’s no coincidence that these negative aspects of the human condition are the same ones that have led to so many problems in human existence throughout history.

It is often lamented that the media rarely, if ever, reports good news. Perhaps the Olympics mark a rare occasion where this is not true. Although not consciously, there is a positive feel to the news, all of a sudden. The best aspects of human achievement are to the fore.

This is tinged with the unpleasantness of nationalism of course and, most likely, by the scandal of drug use but these are asides. There is a feeling of celebration about the games as an event, which even the most cynical must feel a certain attraction.

There are a lot of things wrong with the world but when events such as the Olympics happen, there is a feeling that maybe there is something approaching hope. This may be a fleeting and naïve suggestion but the feeling is good while it lasts. In their stated ideals, the Olympic movement is extremely idealistic and positive.

The fact that this vision has been so thoroughly sullied by the involvement of greedy humans throughout the decades can take nothing away from the concept or the athletes who take part in a spirit of fairness, competition and endeavour.

The human body in full flow, unenhanced by chemical or illegal means, is an extraordinary thing to watch. The human mind, applied in a corrupt or negative way is a soul-destroying thing to witness. Both are on show at the moment in news bulletins all over the world.

Each of us watching can decide which to choose as their weather vane, indicating the future course of the human race. In my case, certainly it takes a massive effort to believe that the true spirit of the Olympics might win out over the corporate greed, doping for glory and straight-up cheating we have seen so often in the past but I am certainly willing to try and give it a go.

The ultra-hyped and oft-proposed achievement of every great ­international sporting event is that it will bring lasting change. In the case of these Olympics, I am going to ­personally try to make this the case. Let the mindset alteration commence.