Olympic Peace

I don’t typically write rants. Mainly because I find them completely uninteresting, dead common and unbecoming of writers. However, today, I have been placed on my soapbox. I know many will not agree with my stance, and that is completely fine. I know that my Israeli friends will think I have went off the deep end, that I am anti-Israel and pro-Arab. This however, isn’t the case. My plea isn’t that Israel give in to so called Palestinians. My goal isn’t that my Jewish friends lose their homeland, rather that instead of focusing solely on the negative that instead they devote more media time to the positive. 99.9% of the world knows the plight of the Israeli citizen, be they Jew or Muslim. 

Today is July 28, 2012. Last night, London hosted the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics. First thing I wake up to news wise is YNET’s complaint that the Lebanese team doesn’t want to train along side of Israel’s team. While this may be news worthy in Israel, Lebanon and other middle eastern countries, it is not news worthy to me here in the States. Do I see a team not wanting to train with another team as a problem? Yes, of course, but why are we giving them media attention? Is the TEAMS who are PARTICIPATING nicely not good enough news? 

In Psychology we are taught that if you give certain behaviors attention, then they continue. These behaviors can have positive or negative consequences, but either way they continue. However, we have also learned that if we ignore certain behaviors, then those behaviors go away. Now, I certainly am not speaking of acts of terrorism. That should never be ignored. However, why are we giving attention to a select group of people because they can’t, won’t or possibly have and this is just been made up to tick off society, train with another team? 

The real story of the Olympics is one that fosters for peace for 17 days. The Olympics truly isn’t about Michael Phelps becoming the most decorated Olympian of our time, or Team Israel getting more medals than her Arab neighbors. The real story is that for 17 days, the world unites to cheer on it’s athletes and for 17 days, we forget that religion and boundaries separate us all. For 17 days, we become citizens of the world. 

I don’t ask that you stand behind me in my efforts to forget YNET’s story which focuses negatively on the Olympics, I don’t ask that you support me at all, rather I ask that you look into your own hearts and seek what the 2012 London Olympics means to you. 

I do encourage all media outlets to focus on the positive and not the negative...because whether we like each other or not, we are stuck on this great big planet called Earth and the Olympics aren’t about who dislikes who; it’s about celebrating and fostering peace among the nations.