Olympics

I used to love watching the Olympics,  the spectacle of it all,  the astounding efforts.  And then one day, a friend said,  we're not even giving a minute to the guy who came 9th,  best in his country,  9th in the world,  and he's not even on our radar.  

Then I started to look at the Olympics differently.  There are always the heartwarming stories,  but there is a bigger message about the cost of perfection.  The sheer courage it takes to see where you stand in the world - anyone ever measure the best lawyer in the country?  How would we measure the best doctor? in the entire world?  Sports is wonderful because you can quantify it - they ran this fast and now someone ran .1 seconds faster and they are now better.  

But as someone who frequently tells people,  you are good enough,  don't let the perfect get in the way of the good... I think this person just ran faster than you and I could imagine, and surely is fast enough. Why are we pushing these fine folk to ever higher heights/endeavors.  Let's not pretend that this doesn't damage their bodies long term.   

I far prefer Olympics to war,  and countries want to strut their stuff and increase their world stature via sport,  I say go for it.  But on a personal level,  I want to give them all a hug and tell them they are wonderful,  and to enjoy the sheer thrill of being there,  and not to let those tiny medals be the way they measure their souls.