Monday, February 15, 2010

Be an Olympian!


Watching the Winter Olympics on tv the other night, the realization came to me that my high school student body in California was known as the "Olympians." I don't think I ever connected in those days with what that symbolized or put it into my life in any practical way. From the Internet goggling I came up this information, which is far more than I ever knew when I was high school age back in the 1950s. The Olympians are a group of 12 gods who ruled after the overthow of the Titans. All the Olympians are related in some way. They are named after their dwelling place Mount Olympus: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Hera, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis, and Hephaestus. For all the college courses I've taken, I never did study Greek mythology that I remember. Although I now enjoy learning about history, when a young teen it was BORING.

Fast forwarding to modern day times, what does it mean to be an OLYMPIAN? Perhaps to be focused on improving one's self and EXCELLING in a chosen area-be it homemaking, teaching, genealogy, blogging, cooking, parenting or a specific subject, art or sports area. The part about the Olympics of today that I dislike the most is the COMPETITION with others rather than with just yourself. Why can't everyone who participates and does their best be called a WINNER instead of being judged by mili-seconds to beat some one else's record or be a LOSER. We all need to give our best EFFORTS.

Interesting info on the Olympic flag from Wikepedia...The Olympic symbol, better known as the Olympic rings, consists of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five inhabited continents (considering North and South America as a single continent). The colored version of the rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—over a white field forms the Olympic flag. These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag. The flag was adopted in 1914 but flown for the first time only at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It has since been hoisted during each celebration of the Games.

7 comments:

  1. I'm not watching the Olympics for that very reason. I'm the least competitive person on earth and that extreme level of competition is more than I can handle. I'm happy for those with competitive spirits to enjoy the games.

    My high school was known as the "rattlers" for the diamond back rattlesnakes found in Texas. How would you like to look at a rattlesnake on your annuals, senior class rings, and any place else they could think of to put it.

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  2. Thanks for this explanation of the flag. I sure do appreciate the info.

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  3. I do enjoy watching the ice skating events during the Olympics but that is it. I agree with you about the competing, does everything always have to have a winner? We can all be winners in our minds and hearts if we so chose.

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  4. The spirit of the Olympic games isn't just about having a winner or a loser but about creating a common field of play where the world comes together to make sport instead of war. There are hundreds of Olympians who come to the games without any hope or expectation for a medal. The fact that they made it there is enough to fufill their dreams. They are the true story of the games.

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  5. I do like to watch the games and I think most of the athletes are challenging themselves and it is great to see. I also find people making great efforts toward helping other people or those who are dealing with daily challenges who are really striving as hard as some of the athletes. It is just more quiet and unnoticed....good post..

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  6. I enjoy the Olympics, and I like to watch many sports in general. I have no problem with competition. Most athletes don't talk about winning or losing, but about setting and breaking their own marks as personal bests. They compete against themselves in trying to improve.

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  7. Your post brought me back to my high school days where Sister St Matthew was my Latin teacher..[4 years!]. Your post was great fun. What do teenagers ever enjoy, anyway?

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