When it comes to our daily lives, we stand divided on many issues, everything from gun control to guys and girls on 'The Bachelor' or 'The Bachelorette.'
But every two years, the Olympics mark a time we can come together. As Americans, as families, as friends, we all share a common bond. Our rooting interest is the same, which doesn’t happen too often.
Rivalries in sports often divide friends, cities and families. That’s part of the fun. We love trash talking a friend, brother or cousin when our team beats theirs. We thrive on seeing our teams take titles. But in doing that, we become a segmented audience.
Not so with the Olympics.
For two weeks, we can all root for the same athletes, representing our country among the world’s best.
The Olympics brings us all together for a good reason and that proves a rare occurrence. Many times, it's tragedy that causes us to seek unity and patriotism.
Post-9/11, flags flew outside of homes and bars. The fabric at the heart of our country became stitched even tighter.
Rivalries in sports often divide friends, cities and families. That’s part of the fun. We love trash talking a friend, brother or cousin when our team beats theirs. We thrive on seeing our teams take titles. But in doing that, we become a segmented audience.
Not so with the Olympics.
For two weeks, we can all root for the same athletes, representing our country among the world’s best.
The Olympics brings us all together for a good reason and that proves a rare occurrence. Many times, it's tragedy that causes us to seek unity and patriotism.
Post-9/11, flags flew outside of homes and bars. The fabric at the heart of our country became stitched even tighter.
It’s easy to sometimes forget what makes our country so special -- the freedoms that we are afforded, the values upon which we live our lives.
We remember them when they are tarred and corrupted, like last Friday, when a gunman entered a movie theater, shooting 71 innocent people, killing 12 in Colorado. They were just trying to enjoy a midnight premiere. It’s simple, just another ritual for Americans.
In the aftermath of that tragedy we remembered just how fragile life is, just how tenuous our freedoms can be. It's when our cores are shaken when that perspective takes focus. As Colorado victim Jessica Redford so poignantly wrote following another shooting she narrowly missed, "I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath."
We came together in support of those victims, people like us, whose lives were taken in tragedy.
But now, we get the opportunity to come together for good reason as the 2012 Olympics kick off in London. We won’t find strength in each other through pain and suffering, but triumph and success.
We’ll sit on our couches watching it all unfold, with family and friends.
I remember it when I was a kid, sitting in my living room with my grandma, eyes glued to the television as Kerri Strug hopped off the mat in Atlanta and the Magnificent 7 hopped on to the podium, gold put around their necks.
In 2008 at Beijing, Michael Phelps captivated the world. My friends and I screamed as we huddled around the TV watching Phelps reach for the wall, tempting fate with fingertips in the 100-meter, keeping alive his quest for most Olympic medals.
Two years ago, I sat in my friend's dorm room watching hours of curling at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, as we came and went from class to class.
It’s all incredible. And there's something for just about everyone. Some marvel at the sheer speed of swimming's sprints, others the artistry of gymnastics, and for some the bikinis of beach volleyball are enough reason to tune in.
In the aftermath of that tragedy we remembered just how fragile life is, just how tenuous our freedoms can be. It's when our cores are shaken when that perspective takes focus. As Colorado victim Jessica Redford so poignantly wrote following another shooting she narrowly missed, "I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath."
We came together in support of those victims, people like us, whose lives were taken in tragedy.
But now, we get the opportunity to come together for good reason as the 2012 Olympics kick off in London. We won’t find strength in each other through pain and suffering, but triumph and success.
We’ll sit on our couches watching it all unfold, with family and friends.
I remember it when I was a kid, sitting in my living room with my grandma, eyes glued to the television as Kerri Strug hopped off the mat in Atlanta and the Magnificent 7 hopped on to the podium, gold put around their necks.
In 2008 at Beijing, Michael Phelps captivated the world. My friends and I screamed as we huddled around the TV watching Phelps reach for the wall, tempting fate with fingertips in the 100-meter, keeping alive his quest for most Olympic medals.
Two years ago, I sat in my friend's dorm room watching hours of curling at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, as we came and went from class to class.
It’s all incredible. And there's something for just about everyone. Some marvel at the sheer speed of swimming's sprints, others the artistry of gymnastics, and for some the bikinis of beach volleyball are enough reason to tune in.
We feel the thrill of the games -- Americans, free just like us, on the world’s biggest stage.
The Star Spangled Banner plays as we watch them revel in their moment of glory. They get choked up. Sometimes we do too. And we do it together.
For a couple weeks, we see the commonalities we share with each other and the rest of the world. Despite different governments, ideologies, or ways of life, we are all people.
The Star Spangled Banner plays as we watch them revel in their moment of glory. They get choked up. Sometimes we do too. And we do it together.
For a couple weeks, we see the commonalities we share with each other and the rest of the world. Despite different governments, ideologies, or ways of life, we are all people.
We’re not divided like lawmakers on Capitol Hill. We’re not broken apart on hot-button issues. We're not liberals or conservatives, activists or pacifists, when it comes to the games.
We are people. We are Americans.
No, the games aren't without scandal or imperfections, but their power to unify is undeniable. So grab a friend, settle in with family, and together, watch the flag unfurl and history unfold.
Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/sports/olympics/2012-london-olympics-a-time-for-bonding-not-dividing-as-americans#ixzz221o15cse
