One World One Dream

Skill. Heart. Athleticism. Patriotism. Suspense. Perfection. Honor. Competition. Sweat. Humanity. Olympics.

Every four years, I watch in awe of what the human race is capable of. Not of the art of persuasion, the grime of politics, or the struggle for power and attention, but rather of the sheer physical ability of the human race. In our rawest form, in our most primal state, what we humans can do is remarkable. It somehow raises our eyes above the daily grind of life. It causes something inside to say, "I can be better. I can push the limits of what I think I am capable of. I don't have to be mediocre; I can be great."

President Bush has been pushed by some to boycott the Olympics. I'm glad he refused. I'm glad that he chose to honor and support our athletes. I'm glad that, no matter what political issues surface as a result of the games being held in China, he made the choice to attend. He made the silent, yet very loud, statement that policy is not the end-all. It's all really just about people.

The opening ceremony tonight was absolutely phenomenal. The Chinese are precise, and it showed. The show included 15,000 performers, and all 15,000 performed with near perfection. The man who choreographed the show is brilliant. The colors, lights, dances, symbolism...everything was fantastic.

While I was watching the ceremony, though, I couldn't help but be so very sad. The performance was in two parts, ancient and modern, and basically showed bits of Chinese history. The theme was quite obviously (at least the announcers kept alluding to this) that China's best days have been the ones when they were "open" and that they want to be "open" again. All the while, the very essence of the show was Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. In so many ways, the Chinese could be one of the most amazing groups of people in history. They are innovative and smart, have a good work ethic, and know how to create quality. But as long as they remain spiritually deceived, they will never become what they could. While this is true for everyone, tonight I was hit by the fact that, for hundreds of years, China in particular has been deceived. And now it's just who they are; it's their very culture. That made me sad for them.

Usually when the parade of nations starts, I get bored really fast. But tonight was a bit different. Because China doesn't have an alphabet, the countries couldn't enter in alphabetical order. (I had never thought about this! My question is: How do they file paperwork?? I sent an email to my cousin who lives there...I'll let you know what the answer to this important question is when I find out.) So tonight the nations entered according to the number of strokes in the Chinese version of the names.

Two thoughts struck me as I watched the delegates enter. One was that people are beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. God really did a good job when he created people. The other though was that there really is a large spectrum in freedom across the world. Iraq entered, and the flag bearer was a woman. (This, I believe, was a very proud moment not only for Iraq, but also for the United States. I thought to myself how proud President Bush must have felt at that moment, watching the delegates from Iraq walk past him.) The next country to enter was Iran. Ironically, their flag bearer was also a woman, but she had her head covered in the traditional wrap. One country entered and, in addition to their flag, they carried a banner with the picture of a man I assumed to be their country's leader. Israel entered, and the announcers said that the president was staying in a hotel very close to the stadium because he couldn't break Sabbath by being driven back to the hotel, so he would have to walk. African countries entered and most of them never dreamed they could be there.

The United States entered and it seemed different than most of the others. In the United States, women are honored every day. In the United States, we can love or hate the President. In the United States, we dream. Tonight, the United States walked in free. Our flag bearer was a refugee.

"[Lopez] Lomong was one of the Sudanese "Lost Boys," stolen from his family at gunpoint at 6, raised for 10 years in a Kenyan refugee camp, adopted by an American family as a teenager. Lomong, now 23, became a U.S. citizen last year, an Olympian last month and the country's flag bearer at these Games on Thursday.

"To represent my country and raise that flag," he said Friday morning, "I don't even have a word for it.""

When I first heard his name, I thought, "You've got to be kidding." But in the next breath, I realized I was wrong to think that. He represents everything America is. We aren't a nation of "you have to be born here." Rather, we are a nation of,

"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

The Olympics always make me emotional. But putting tears aside, I say...

Game on.