The highest stage,
the game for gold
pressure rises,
time to be bold.
"Fighting well"
the tradition to uphold.
Winning. It's important, but it really isn't all there is. Despite what the new Nike ad tries to tell you. Empathy is important, and, when push comes to shove, you are your only opponent. It's not about winning, it's about being the best version of yourself you can be. With the official start of the Olympic Games happening today, that's an important thing to ponder about. It's what Baron Pierre de Cubertin, the 'builder' of the modern Olympic Games said: "the important thing is not to win, but to have fought well."
Be the best you can be.
Why is this so important? My son came home from school one day, quite angry. Some of his class mates had been ignored during the sports lesson. They were playing some kind of handball, and some kids just didn't get the ball passed to them. They were ignored. When he addressed the sports teacher about this, the teacher said that it was because they weren't that good. If you are good, you get the ball passed to you, was the message.
Mind you, my son is 10 years old. As are his class mates. The sports lesson in school should be about getting the kids involved in sports, about teaching them how to play, not about punishing them for not having learned how to play a game, yet.
Just over 100 years ago, women were not allowed to play at the Olympics. We don't have to exclude others to win. We need to be the best we can be, and help others to be the best they can be. Then, we all win.
The poem above is a 'highku', a form I created inspired by the Higher movement. It is a poem that has an inspirational and aspirational message, and consists of 6 lines of 4, 4, 4, 4, 3 and 7 syllables.
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Poésie de la vie
It's easy to forget how far we've come if you just look at today. This video tells the story of female participation at the Olympic Games, and it makes me happy to see my daughter will have more opportunities in her life than my mother ever had.
