When the cheering stops

The 2010 Winter Olympics is now history. The Olympic flame has been extinguished. The hundreds of athletes will be heading home today as Vancouver tries to return to a more normal existence. Some of the athletes will bath themselves in the glory of their victories while others will nurse their bruised egos as they continue to believe that they were somehow robbed of their medal. And then there are those athletes who will be able to turn their gold, silver and bronze metals into some mega commercial/endorsement deals while others will be thrilled that they had a chance of a lifetime to simply compete.

What happens now?

The city in Russia is well on their way in preparing for the gathering of the Olympians in 2014. Some of the heroes and “sheores “ of this year’s competition will return to their training facilities while others will return to a more “normal” lifestyle. As for the thousands of spectators – well, we will find something else to occupy our attention, something else to receive our praise, something else to cheer about, something else to talk about, and something else to glory in.

But will the world be any different – really?

Here is a novel idea? What if the world would – could – simply replace all of the tanks, guns and fighter jets with a continuation of friendly athletic competition? What if the world could really come together and allow all of our differences simply to be drowned out by the cheering of our voices? What if … it is nice to dream of a more perfect world!

Quote for today: “A winner says, ‘There ought to be a better way to do it’; a loser says, ‘That's the way it's always been done here.’" Source unknown