Lessons from the Olympics

Submitted by Lindsay
Melbourne Australia!

Submitted by Lindsay
Melbourne, Australia!
Life is mostly froth and bubble,
Two things stand like stone,
kindness in another’s trouble,
Courage in your own.
 - Adam Lindsay Gordon, 1866

(9/2021) The world has recently watched the thirty-second Olympiad being held in Tokyo. Every country and principality in the world was represented, and it was impossible not to be moved by the sight of 10,305 athletes from 205 countries doing their utmost to perform a personal best.

For them all it was not about winning medals, it was about doing better than their best. You have to be a top performer to be selected, and you will be competing against top performers; to get to that level you have to go beyond dedication, sacrifice and discipline, you have to be totally committed to the ultimate best. Failure was possible and often achieved, but it was never a deterrent. Coming last was not shameful, as simply getting there was an achievement, and I’m sure not one competitor ever said to themselves, ‘Well, that’s it, I give up.’ That is never in the lexicon of those who continue to strive to do better, it is simple recognition that they are not as good as the others at that time and place.

And that is not defeat, it is reality.

Unlike other endeavours, competing in the Olympics is not about money or sponsorship, and not really about bringing renown to your country – although that is always in the background - it is ultimately about being true to yourself. That is the reward, the only one that is not tarnished by time, one thing that no one can take from you. Being true to yourself lifts the heart, the spirit and the determination.

Getting to the Olympics is hard, and practically impossible for many. Most of us never even think of getting to that level of competitiveness, but here’s the thing: It doesn’t matter.

I remember my two-year-old granddaughter trying to undo her gran’s watch strap. She tried for many minutes before saying, "I’m not strong enough."

That’s the point: Trying your best is the way forward. It’s the opposite of giving up, and that can be so easy to do if you seem to have no future. Getting somewhere begins with desire: You see someone do something – say skateboarding at a park – and you say to yourself, ‘I want to do that.’ It doesn’t look easy, but you try and fall, get upon a try again and again and… until finally you feel the greatest feeling of all – accomplishment. It doesn’t matter what it is – you have to try. You’ll never make it to the Olympics, but that doesn’t matter. The other thing you’ve done is make friends. They are happy to help, because showing someone how to do something is another great feeling. Then there’s the next thing, and the next – and before you know it, you’re grinning.

And that’s another lesson from the Olympic competitors: They treat the other competitors with respect. More than that, they are not afraid to help. The most wonderful image came when, in the 5000-metre distance race, Abbey D’Agostino, representing the U S, stopped to help Nikki Hamblin from New Zealand to her feet after she had clipped the heel of another competitor and had fallen. They both came last, but won gold in showing what the true spirit of the games is.

Friendships are made and last far longer than the games. All these things are there for the taking, but only if you are prepared to step up to the challenge. OK, you will be taken advantage of, but so what? It is your worth that is being shown, it is you taking that step, trying until you succeed. There is nothing quite like that feeling.

The para-Olympics are starting soon, and listening to some of their stories fills me with admiration. One young woman who was a dressage performer was thrown and broke her spine. Two years later she was back on her horse in a brace. Asked if she thought she might get a medal, she replied, "I have it already."

There is a dividing line between those who succeed and those who don’t. No one can attempt anything without help, from learning to spell to designing buildings. From writing sentences to stories to reporting, our parents, siblings, teachers and friends help us answer questions, solve problems and hopefully teach us the cooperation needed to succeed in the future.

But then not all of us have these privileges. So many have no way of being able to contemplate getting out of the slums or escaping the ravages of drugs. That is not condemnation, it is fact.

In a country that has the highest rates of incarceration in the world, any sense of helping has gone. It is ‘correction’ that rules, an idea that is so unjust that it makes many of us sick, and has come from the fear conservatives have of increasing crime – ‘Law and Order’ has always won elections – and hypocritical when it them that determine what crime is. Yet there are many people and organisations who try to help, for which we must be thankful, but in the cities, the burbs, the idea of community has grown less and less.

Doing a google search, I could find no not-for-profit community groups who try to help the homeless, the forgotten kids in Maryland. There has to be, of course, but even such groups are not the answer. It comes down to individuals. One person helping another to achieve whatever with no thought of recompense – except the feeling of happiness such deeds bring.

There’s a parable I’d like to finish with: A man was going down the road when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest, then a holy man saw him and walked on by. When a workman went by, he was dismayed and took pity on him, bandaged his wounds, gave him some food, then helped him to a motel. As he paid for the room, he said to the manager, "Here’s some more money. Look after, won’t you?"

That’s all it takes.