The Olympics

It began over two thousand years ago as a contest, one where a bunch of sweaty men got all greased up and tried to hug one another to death(wrestling), others threw their weapons off into the far distance for some unknown reason(javelin and discus), and still other men did their best to catch up to and pass the man in front of them(races).

What am I talking about? No, it is not some ancient homosexual rite of passage. I am, of course, talking about the Olympics. Over the centuries, nay, millenia that have passed since it's inception, the Olympics have changed in many ways.

Before it was about the one man who was the best. Now it's about the top three in each sport. Originally it was a contest to see who was the best in Greece. Now it's about who is the best in the world. Before there were but a handful of sports. Now there are so many that they have had to be split into both Summer and Winter games.

The original sports were all about strength, speed, and stamina. Some of the newer ones have those things as well. Others like skeet shooting are more about accuracy. Then there's gymnastics and diving that are more about perfection in motion and flawless form. Some highly competitive everyday sports such as hockey,basketball and soccer have been added. I think others such as snowboarding, even though there are points awarded, are more about just having a good time than anything else.

And then there's curling. WTF is that?!?! And why the heck is it an Olympic sport?

Anyways. For me the pomp and circumstance of the Olympics has always been kind of like the Thanksgiving Macy's day parade. It's like a cross between that and an extension of the United Nations. There's like this feeling in the air of holiday somehow mixed with diplomacy.

There's like this feeling of goodwill and betterment of our world. It shows how even though we are doing it in a competitive way, we can all work together and accomplish some amazing things.

And just like with the holidays it bothers me that this is something that only happens once in awhile. That feeling of togetherness and shared common decency should be an all the time thing. Not just once a couple of times every four years.

If the kind of effort that went into the Olympic Games went into the rest of life. Our world would be a massively better place to live.  How do you think your life would change if you put as much focus and energy into every aspect of your life as an Olympian does into their chosen sport? How would it differ if you were as intensely goal oriented?