Unless you've been living under a rock somewhere, you probably heard that last week olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died during training, before the opening ceremonies were even held. He was 21 and from the eastern European Republic of Georgia.
The news was shocking and sad of course, but what was even more shocking and sad to me was the way the news was delivered on a local radio station. "There has been a death at the Olympics," the DJ said. Then he added quickly "Not an American or a Canadian though..."
Not a member of our team, oh and not a member of the home team, so therefore he's less important? We don't know him personally (we can barely pronounce his name) so, you know, his death is news but we're not emotional over it.
Since when is one person less of a person than another?
Oh yeah, since forever. The person who looks different. The person who doesn't speak your language. The person who is handicapped. The baby that isn't born yet. Many people are marginalized and for many reasons. But these are all people, and in God's eyes each person is equally important with each other person.
How is it that humanity is so inhuman?!
And what can I do to be the change I want to see--need to see--in this inhuman world?
I must be living under a rock somewhere. I wouldn't even know that the Olympics were going on if it weren't for Google's fancy homepage changes...and some friends on Facebook mentioning it.
ReplyDeleteThat is disheartening, though, to know that some people have a hard time recognizing us all as equals.
I must be living under a rock, because I didn't hear about it...oh, and I have no broadcast tv either. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, people have value no matter what labels are put upon them. We're all children of our Heavenly Father after all. He certainly doesn't count one of us less than another.
Keep doing what you're doing Jenni. Reach out to those within your influence and follow where the Spirit guides you.
I should add that I dont think the DJ meant to be unfeeling or dehumanizing--and that's just the problem. He didn't even think about what he said or how he said it.
ReplyDeleteI just have not been able to get the whole thing off my mind in days, so I figured I should blog about it. :)
It broke my heart to hear about this too. And my heart goes out to the county of Georgia for their loss.
ReplyDeleteI agree that humanity is so inhuman, and it's sad.
My biggest "issue" surrounding this death of an olympian is this. It seems (in the winter sports especially) that talent is never enough. They are constantly pushing them to the brink of death, building a luge track with a turn called the 50/50 because those are the odds of a dangerous wreck, snowboarders being pushed to the extremes doing flips that if the are off by mere inches can kill them or paralyze them. Why can't talent be good enough? Why must they risk their lives to win a gold medal for a sport?
"Oh yeah, since forever" is sad but correct (I think). I've been reading some fiction lately set in Shanghai in the 1930's and earlier from the viewpoint of British citizens, and WOW some of the things they "say" shock me. ME, who has watched MTV and graduated from a public university.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had an answer to world love. But then, I might have the answer to world peace. And I don't even know if it's possible... (Fingers crossed, though. I hope I do my job as a mamma well and maybe move the world in that direction...)
Thank-you for this.
ReplyDelete