Olympic Dreams

I had no intention of watching the recent Olympic Games but, alas, I somehow got hooked and tuned in for quite a few hours. Some of that time was enjoyable and instructive. Who knew that speed skating could keep you on the edge of your seat? But the manner in which NBC broadcasted the games became increasingly annoying. I refer to the veritable orgy of commercialism that washed over us like a tsunami. Not only were the events frequently interrupted by interminable commercial breaks, you couldn’t watch a single clip on the NBC website without viewing another commercial. Enough already! Granted, NBC shelled out a gazillion dollars for the rights to broadcast the games, but can’t we find a better way to do this? Why do we, as a civilization, put up with this?

There were moments of agony and of ecstasy, all played out on the world stage. There were a few incidences that struck me as worthy of special consideration. Take the case of the Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer. One week he won the gold in the 5,000 meter race and was on top the world, having achieved the Olympic dream and glory for his nation. The following week he crossed the finish line first in another race but was immediately disqualified due to an unfortunate communication from his coach. He was understandably frustrated at the outcome and was visibly shaking with anger. It was a heartbreaking moment. Poor guy. One can imagine that he will replay those few seconds of that race for the rest of his life. Most people would do that. What can we learn here? Two things, I think. First, that nothing is permanent in this world. Happiness can be changed into gloom in a second. There is nothing we can hold onto. Even the best moments slip out of our fingers before we even realize it. Secondly, that if you pin your happiness to events in the external world you are playing with fire. Understandably, being a world class athlete, Sven Kramer was intensely focused on the outcome of his race. But if he examines the cause of suffering he will perhaps learn that, by being attached to the outcome, he had created suffering for himself. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. I wish him well. May he enjoy peace and a life free of suffering.

Then there was the extraordinary spectacle of the Canadian figure skater Joannie Rochette. Her mother died in Vancouver, having just arrived, expecting to savor the Olympic success of her daughter. It was reported that Joannie was an only child and that she and her mother were very close. It was very moving to see her go out on the ice under such trying circumstances and actually do her routine. At the end of it she broke down. There was probably not a dry eye in the house. The audience cheered and cheered for her. I was struck by our capacity for empathy, our ability to feel the suffering of others, to put ourselves in the shoes of our fellow beings. We all know what the bond with our parents can mean. Each one of us could imagine what the lovely and talented Ms Rochette was going through and our hearts opened up to her. This ability to empathize is something that puts us apart from all the other species on the planet. Few other animals have any regard for the plight of their kind. (I think elephants and perhaps apes are the only other species that has been known to show an inkling of concern for their own.)

I know that Schadenfreude is not the most noble of sentiments, but I couldn’t help feeling that justice had been done when, in an early men’s speed skating race, two of the Koreans in the lead both slipped and knocked each other out of the race. The Koreans are particularly apt to cheat and this was, I thought, an example of karma in action. Their poor sportsmanship came back to bite them in the ass. And they did it to themselves – that was the beauty of it! I indulged in another moment of Schadenfreude when the Russian figure skater, Yevgeny Plushenko, was awarded the silver. He made an impression of being smug and arrogant, even bad-mouthing his competitors before the competition. He was so convinced that he should have won the gold medal that he later ‘awarded’ himself a platinum medal on his website! How’s that for the height of arrogance! The fact the he got ‘only’ the silver medal is the lesson the universe has given him. May he learn from it.

Lastly, there was the famous hockey match between the USA and Canada. I don’t give a flying puck about hockey, but I dearly wanted the Canadians to win. It is their national sport, the games were held on Canadian soil. It seemed only fair and right that they should win that bit of glory. If I were the King of the World, I thought, I would let them win. And – they did -- in spectacular fashion! Go, Canada!