On the happenings of April 9th, 2008

Yesterday, the Olympic Torch passed through San Francisco on its way to Beijing as the world raged in cries and protests due to China’s abuse of human rights in Tibet and elsewhere. This was not the first time people protested about this Olympics, there has been protests in London, Paris, Istanbul and elsewhere, as the Chinese Government is apparently deemed unworthy of hosting the Olympics. Neither was this the first time the Olympic Games were protested against due to various reasons; in 1976, 1980 and 1984 entire countries boycotted the Montreal, Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics. Apartheid, Invasion of a country by another, Revenge, or International Policies, now and then, political reasons spoiled the games.

I think they’re missing the bloody point.

No one really knows how the Ancient Olympics started, but one of the myths, and my personal favourite, presents it as beautiful exchange of war for peace. The story tells that, in the Ancient Greece Era, the city-state of Elis was at war with Sparta. Spartans being Spartans, the most efficient war machine of the ancient world, if Elis went to war with them it was almost certain they would lose, if not get massacred. King Iphitos of Elis, in a desperate effort to stop the war and save his people, consulted the Oracle, who told him to organize games to honour the gods. Spartans being Spartans again, with the tightest code of honour of the Greek city-states, decided to stop the war during the games.

Those old Greeks were way smarter than us.

The Olympics, I firmly believe, are a chance for us, as people, to get together and forget our differences, at least for a moment. For a couple of weeks, forget that we believe in different things, that we come from different places, that we speak different languages or have different ideas. They are a chance to forget what’s done before, our mistakes, that we did something that damaged someone because we didn’t know better. They are a chance to give us a chance - despite all that has happened before, in the end, we all make mistakes, but we all, as human beings, can get together and do something wonderful as having fun. We are not governments. We are not policies. We are not political games. We are just people, and all we really want is share a good laugh from time to time.

So let’s put all those things away for a while and have a good time. We can go protesting at an embassy or killing some people or stealing petrol later if we need to. Meanwhile, let’s give ourselves a chance to remember why we shouldn’t need to.

I don’t know enough about the situation of the People’s Republic of China and Tibet, Dafur, or anything else to be able to take a position in that debate. Doing it, as uninformed as I am, would be utterly irresponsible. However, I do know the spirit of the Games. Take a break from war, and enjoy life during peace. That is my position. Whether you are right or wrong, there are moments to wage war. Wage war when it is the appropriate time and the appropriate place. But not when and where we get together to forget about war.