The Olympics are now 2 weeks away. I really enjoy them. (Since my boss reads my blog, I won't say that now I have to wait 2 weeks for the Olympics to begin so I can have something else to watch during the day!) I know I'm a strange breed but I like the long multi-week international sporting events. Of course this year's Olympics comes with its share of controversy. When I did a Google image search for the Olympics to get an image of their emblem, I came across this one.
From the moment it was announced, I was disappointed to hear that the games will be played in Beijing. As the games have gotten closer, the reasons for this disappointment are even more apparent. First and foremost are the political and social issues that come with the Chinese governmental oppression. Second has been the environmental issues. It's crazy to hear that athletes are worried about breathing conditions. I would imagine we won't see many records broken in the outdoor events this year.
The flip side of this issue is that maybe with all the world gazing at China for 16 days, international pressure will force changes - changes that remove the human oppression going on in many areas of the nation and changes that improve our global environment when the most populous nation is forced to clean up. One can only hope. I believe these changes have already begun in some ways. Time will tell how far they will go. Another benefit is the relaxation of travel into China which is allowing more Christians in to spread the gospel if only for a window of time. I've heard many things of the church in China thriving in the midst of oppression. Historically, that seems to have always been the case for Christianity. I hope this window of time helps - if only in bringing encouragement to our existing Chinese brothers and sisters.
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1 comment:
I remember liking the Olympics as a kid but as I grew older I gradually found it less and less interesting. I do enjoy some of the subplots on American competitors - the feel good stories and what not, but overall I don't catch much of the action.
I do think China will use this opportunity for good in terms of their economic standing in the world - not sure it will do anything longterm to help their environment. They've advanced quickly do to less regulation than U.S. And as the second largest holder of US dollars (behind Japan), they're ready to pounce when our stock market plunges right before the election this year. China is the new superpower in waiting.
Pedro
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