Olympic Grey Areas

I've been thinking a lot about the Olympics and how I feel about them.  If you read Olympics for Poets, you will remember that I was contemplating why we privilege sports over other activities - I wondered if we ever put that kind of effort into celebrating our poets, surgeons, or teachers. 

It's not that I'm against the Olympics - it's just that my mind looks at grey areas of life - not the black and white.  So, while I can say, "yes the Olympics seem to be about more than sports - it's an opportunity to put our best foot forward.  To celebrate our national identity, while at the same time honouring all of the other nations involved. The Olympics are a wonderful event that bring together our musicians, poets, fashion designers, artists, reporters and photo journalists, etc. and blah, blah, blah..."I still wonder at how the Province of British Columbia can bounce back from such enormous output of cash.  Will we be feeling the economic repercussions for years to come?  Our schools and classrooms are pretty much stripped down to the bare bones (music programs, teacher-librarian's, reading specialists....gone. I notice this lack of richness when I compare the schools in Manitoba to those in BC.)

Only time will tell what the outcome will be.  For now, I'll try to enjoy the Olympics for what they are, and push these questions to the back of my mind.  I'll try to feel the joy through the eyes of my boys, and the kids at their school.