Sunday 6 April 2008

Olympics and Me


I'm not an athlete by any standards, but since loosing a lot of weight lately, I've re-discovered a love for the gym and all things 'Sport'. Trying to run non stop for 10 minutes would have probably killed me in January, but now it seems I might be within reach of that target - pathetic I hear you cry, but it's something I never thought I could do.
I've always enjoyed the Olympics because to me it always enshrined something a little bit special, extraordinary, and beyond the reach of the average human. I never thought I would be in the Olympics, and my hunch on that proved correct. But for those athletes who spend their time and their lives training for a single event, trying to narrow down those invaluable .0's of a second, it must be in their every waking thought, dream, action and deed.
Likewise someone who has faith in anything, be it God, a social system like socialism, communism or democracy, or even those with the beleif in aitheism; that faith shapes our lives, our actions and the decisions we make.
Our Government is supporting the Beijing Olympics, and although I want to because I like watching the events, I'm not really sure I can. China has an awful human rights record. It's a place where my brothers and sisters in the Catholic Church are persecuted daily, it's where people are rounded up and tortured, where children are literally left to die for gender or physical reasons... The list goes on!
The Olympics, weather it is intended to be or not, is always seen as a public endorsment of the country where it is held. So many people are saying it's a sporting event, not a political one, thus we should not hold back our support for the event because of that reason. But if I believe in the sanctity and dignity of human life, and I take my catholic faith seriously, then how can I support such an endorsment of a country which on all levels opposes my very being? But then again how can I support the London Olympics when our Government is promoting this culture which is anti life, anti God and has a distorted view of human rights on all levels... It's a difficult dilema.
Faith is something which penetrates our very being, our very fabric of existence. It's not something I can simply switch on and off. Yet constantly, our culture and politicians ask us to switch off the faith button when they don't agree with what our faith tells us. The simple reality is that if you have a faith on and off switch, then you don't have faith. That statement is not being a fundamentalist, that's being true to our moral compass, which our 'Supreme Leader' Gordon told us he had. Where was his moral compass today in accepting the Torch? Where was it when he wanted a Three Line whip (which there still is in some aspects) on the HFE bill? Where was it when he said 'let all the little children come unto me' and yet supports abortion?
I do not support any violent protests, or trying to be extreme to get on the airwaves; but come the Olpymics, I will switch to another station. Why? Because I see Christ in those people being persecuted and I cannot turn a blind eye to my brothers and sisters pain just because I like and value what the Olympics stand for. Yes, let there be reconcilliation and peace, but for that to happen China must first of all repent and so far, I've not seen Hu Jintao saying he's sorry.

1 comment:

Cathy said...

I will be boycotting the Olympics and every single one of the Olympics sponsors.

It is appalling to me that the US is not boycotting as well.

The Chinese Government is disgusting.