The Magic of the Olympics

There’s something truly magical that happens during the Olympics. While many of us are enjoying rooting for our country and we’ve seen some remarkable performances in Vancouver from people like Lindsey Vonn, Shaun White, Evan Lysacek, Bode Miller, and many others – the real magic of the Olympics is way bigger than any individual athlete or even any country. And, if we look deeper, there are so many aspects of the Olympics that can teach us, remind us, and inspire us on our own personal journey.  Mike Robbins highlights important elements and lessons of the Olympics>>

Distilling the Soul of A Nation

$30 million dollars and a dream backed by NBC and the Olympic Committee brought color and light to my television screen tonight culminating in the opening ceremony of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.  I imagined all that went into producing such a spectacle and the pressure to distill a whole nation’s culture into an evening of premium prime-time television.  Producer David Atkins had his work cut out for him as he and his team assessed an inventory of symbols, stories, messages, and themes.  The goal was to communicate the new face of Canada which combines progress and reverence for the past.  A particular highlight was poet Shane Koyczan’s We Are More.

(excerpted)

we are young

we are cultures strung together

then woven into a tapestry

and the design

is what makes us more

than the sum total of our history

we are an experiment going right for a change

(we are more - full version>>)

MLO sends condolences to the family of Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia.