As its journey to the Olympic Games in Beijing begins, the Olympic Torch has
illuminated a political tempest. Considered together with revelations of
corruption that have sullied the IOC in recent games, we can observe that the
Olympics, a symbol of harmony amongst nations, are also not immune to the
degradation of our materialistic world.
The Olympics today are not tuned to their original spirit, which perhaps still
resides in the hearts of some contemporary athletes: the driving force of
surpassing one’s personal best. Mental and psychological discipline makes it
possible to lead the body to physical feats. Physical prowess is the consequence
of an inner preparation.
The Olympics derives its name from Mount Olympus, the home of the gods – the
home of the transcendent – in Greek mythology. Originally the Olympics were a
celebration of the transcendent heights that could be reached in the human
being, personified in Zeus, the most powerful of the gods. It was a competition
between individuals aimed at encountering one’s own Mount Olympus, the inner
spiritual heights. Physical perfection was achieved by drawing on one’s
transcendent force, one’s inner resources.
It is this inner development, this integration of the transcendent and sacred in
everyday life that is needed in the world today, that would transform not only
Olympic woes but the international relations that the Olympics are meant to
symbolize.
