Relative Something

After the first weekend of Olympic competition, and my extensive hours of viewing, I have these thoughts:

There are plenty of days when I wish we relied a bit less on technology, but as an avid sports spectator, I am forever grateful for the innovation of super slow motion.

At the same time, I find it can really distort our judgement of performance. It makes actions which are at the limits of physically possible, appear reasonable. It makes hundredths of a second seem like a large interval for victory.

The one thing that super slow motion does not need to be used for, is coverage of parents trying to watch (or not watch) their children’s performance. The tension the parents reveal is painful to witness.

I think the strongest trait that comes through in Olympic competition is not the athlete’s physical prowess, even though it is of the highest caliber, but their mental toughness. In every single event, there is a level of intensity that presents itself, that would crush most of us mortals. Every time the athletes succeed, it is a demonstration of the best combination of mind/body accomplishment. When it is a team success, I think it is even more impressive. It becomes a demonstration of mind/body prowess, and the best of human cooperation.

Seeing the best people, perform to their best abilities, is a gift to behold, and in no small way gives a glimpse of the untapped human potential available within all of us.