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his holiness and the olympics
before i volunteered at the 2002 winter olympics, i was almost worried that seeing rivalry between fans of different countries would break my heart. but what i found instead was the most wonderful slice of humanity, people who may be face painted and wearing viking horns while cheering for Norway, would embrace their Swedish or German neighbor in song and celebration.
and the athletes were just as kind and open to each other. at the biathlon afterparty, volunteers and athletes were arm and arm. as i was leaving, biathlon wonderkind Ole Einar Bjoerndalen, had a German under one arm and a Russian under the other and he was inviting everyone back to his hotel to continue the party.
today i discovered a commentary written by His Holiness the Dalai Lama on a religious conference coinciding with the olympics. he writes:
Although everyone wishes to live in peace, we are often confused about how it can be achieved. Violence inevitably leads to more violence. This is not the solution, certainly not in the long term. Today, more and more people realize that the proper way of resolving differences is through dialogue, compromise and discussions, through human understanding and humility. There is a growing appreciation that genuine peace comes about through mutual understanding, respect and trust. The Olympic Games take place in just this spirit.
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11. August 2004 at 3:58 pm :
yay! an excuse to watch the olympics 24/7!
13. August 2004 at 11:36 am :
Like you needed an excuse, Ed!
D, I remember you telling this story about the biathalon party before it’s a good one. But you do have to wonder about the mutual understanding, trust, and respect at the games when the police outnumber the athletes at the games this year 7 to 1.