August 13, 2008

Are there any Buddhist Olympians?

So, here and there I was. Arrival home at 9pm and a need for some food. Sitting around the table eating left over rice. Some excellent Thai sweet chili sauce as the topping of choice and for the sit down. On the television was the Olympics, but of coarse, what else would be on a TV with only 36 channels on a Wednesday night.

Swimming was the main event on, with your corporate ads on in between, Canadian updates on how shitty our Olympians are doing, and back to that American’s run for 8 gold medals and his sponsor’s bonus that will follow.


This is where a thought occurred to me. Which isn’t rare, but came to become stuck in mind.

Oh, how the Olympics have become such a sham and elaboration on country propaganda, hiding the true effects that occurred from the mere presence of the event. All mostly ignored in the mainstream media coverage. The negative impacts won’t be reported on until at least a week has passed after the final ceremony.

Hell, currently all I hear is hearsay and rumors, but if even a portions of those are true, or even if many more horrible things are occurring, then why isn’t it seen in the media. CBC, ABC, Global, CanWest, they all push there own image and the talk over dinner relates to the number of medals, the sponsors, the countries, the muscles, the skill, the equipment, the player’s, etcetera, etcetera.

So, I guess my end point boils down to just more questions. Why do we even have the Olympics still continue on with its farce of an existence? Out of tradition? Out of hope? Or still out of that capacity for humans to compete, individually as much as groups, to be declared the best of the best?