The Olympics

The Olympics for me is a big distraction and could easily stop me spending time doing what I really want to do. I find it bewildering that we are willing to put all this energy into something that is so remote from our daily lives. It is sad that the sport that is being promoted is in fact very unhealthy. People push their bodies and mental abilities to extremes that I consider to be unhealthy and have little to do with leading a balanced and rewarding daily life.

There are many activities that we could get involved with if we wanted to but instead we become couch potatoes and watch others through the box.

The excuse is that it's going to inspire our young people. Surely there are lots of lesser things we could do here in Ulverston that with great satisfaction rather than this remote form of participation. Surely a dedicated adult can do far more to inspire youngsters to engage in say football, swimming, rock climbing than a remote David Beckham etc.

Like the news, these remote activities just become entertainment by others who become celebrities, when we could gain far more by getting involved with what happens at the end of our road with John Smith and Mary Brown. Great if we all got involved with activities using our bodies and a very few went on to greater things but instead we have all this media hype that encourages us to do no more than watch from our sofa or perhaps for a few, make the big effort go to a happening to watch the Olympic flame go by - wow. This for me is such a low level of involvement that I prefer some hard physical work down at the allotment or as I did this morning play chess in the rain at Market Square or as I did yesterday go to Potfest in the Park at Penrith and after a lovely chat with the creative artists, some of whom had travelled all the way from Poland and France and the Netherlands and buy their work. At the same time chase down information on how I could also be creative in my pottery to the benefit to the rest of the town at some happening in the future. Or as I did the previous evening, play my clarinet with another musician on the piano in the Old Friends to the pleasure of others in the pub who could join in by singing. Or as I did on that same day, have a lively discussion with seven others about how we cope with being hypocrites. Or as I did a week ago tell stories and play the piano to complete strangers to Natterjacks. Or as I did a week ago helping others make wax candles for the Candlelit Walk or as I did a week ago put up pottery made by locals previously that I had fired, in Mill Dam Park  or as I did ten days ago have a lovely informative time as to the interests of a three year old as she explored the wide variety of the town's shops.

No the latter activities are far far more involving and demanding so that I'm glad to abandon the television set for the very rewarding experiences of : helping others make wax candles; growing vegetables; making pottery with others; playing chess with others and practising my clarinet and piano both for my own enjoyment and that of others.

So like Christmas, I'm looking forward to the world to return to 'normal' after the Olympics even though normal means coping with the very real problems of coping financially, coping with the effects of Global Warming, coping with the increasingly depressing news in the real newspapers. At least this is 'real' life which you can touch with your hands and hear directly with your ears, see directly with your own eyes and taste with your mouth, even though it can be a struggle that makes you test the limits of your capabilities. This then leads to real solid satisfaction of dealing with challenges where you can succeed with tremendous satisfaction - albeit at a mundane level.

Here's to 'normal' down the road activities. Lets get rid of most of our technology and return to the fields and enjoy life as much as the Nepalese appear to.

I'm aware that my remarks could be seen as negative. Let me put it this way:
Will we feel depressed/dispirited if we we don't win a single medal as long as we enjoyed joining in and enabling an excellent games to take place ? Will we become any less of a great nation? Any less great people and individuals. Surely a lot of hype of Olympic torch mania can only lead disappointment. Intuitively it all makes me feel most uncomfortable and ask "What has this to do with taking care of the less fortunate; with doing something about the thousands of people who are living a struggling life in sheds at the bottom of people's gardens"

Olympic torches and real life sheds don't match up as the same society. Something is askew somewhere. Roll on a bit of time for us all to come to our senses - a bit of time for real life situations to sink in and for us to engage with the struggles in the our real world.