Olympic Opening Ceremonies - Ten Thoughts

1.   I liked the simple start to the ceremonies – a child singing Jerusalem, one of Britian's beautiful traditional hymns. (Above is a more dramatic rendition of the song, conducted by Mark Elder with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Singers, and BBC Symphony Chorus)

2.   The flying Olympic rings were really cool, first glowing like molten medal, then exploding and showering down sparks.

3.   James Bond was just the man to safely take the Queen from Buckingham Palace to the stadium!  hahaha

4. Apparently there is a second verse to God Save the Queen... I'd never heard it before.

5.   I also didn't know that Mr. Bean was such a talented musician! Mr. Atkinson's performance was definitely one of my favourite parts of the ceremony :)

6.   The tiny country of Luxembourg is usually not too noticable at the Olympics. However, surely I couldn't have been the only one to notice how good looking their flag bearer is this year? Her name is Marie Muller, and she is competing in the sport of Judo.

7.   Poland's flag is white with a red stripe on the bottom, Monaco's flag is white with a red stripe on the top, and Indonesia's flag... well, no one's explained to me yet how Indonesia's flag is any different from Monaco's. Makes me kind of glad that Canada has that unique maple leaf in the middle.

8.   The International Olympic Committee refused to acknowledge the 40th anniversary of the massacre at the Munich Olympics, despite pressure from many world leaders (including John Baird, Hillary Clinton, and even Obama). I find that completely disgraceful.

9.   The cauldron was very beautiful! I loved how they let six young athletes nominated by outstanding Olympians to light the cauldron. Equally cool was how the individual copper petals were lit before folding up into one giant flame. I see it as symbolic of diversity and unity, as each country brought in one of the petals during the Parade of Nations.

10.   Paul McCartney performed very well, and I loved his enthusiasm! I still have that song stuck in my head. Naaa na na na na na naaaaa, na na na naaaaa hey Jude!

***

Photo Credits:

1. http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/london-2012/2717930-olympics-london-2012-opening-ceremony-charts-british-history

2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2180064/London-2012-Olympic-Opening-Ceremony--pictures-action.html

5. http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Games+rituals+wasn/7003414/story.html

6. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2180052/Mr-Bean-Olympic-Opening-Rowan-Atkinson-brings-house-leads-orchestra-hilarious-rendition.html

7. http://www.mariemuller.info/Marie_Muller/Fotos/Seiten/Fotoshooting.html

8. http://twistedsifter.sifter.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/olympic-cauldron-opening-ceremony-london-2012-cover-800x500.jpg

10. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19024254

11. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-33747_162-57481790/2012-olympics-paul-mccartney-closes-londons-opening-ceremony/

Survival

You have been selected to participate in a popular TV gameshow called... the Hunger Games. You are one of 24 contestants, and only one of you can come out alive. In order to survive, you will have to kill at least one other person (probably more). Would you participate, knowing that you will need to kill others in order to live? Or would you kill yourself before the Games started?

I originally thought that all the killings inside the Hunger Games arena would be in self-defence. However, is it really self-defence if you are going into the arena knowing that you will have to kill people? Isn't that actually closer to premeditated murder?

⬇ Spoiler Alert! ⬇

In The Hunger Games, the hero and heroine (Katniss and Peeta) decide to kill to survive. However, by the end of the story, when they are the last two standing, they can't bring themselves to kill the other. So they decide to attempt suicide together.

The Hunger Games portrays many instances of Katniss and Peeta putting themselves at risk to help others, which is admirable. However, their selfless acts are (for the most part) limited for those they know and love – on the other hand, they are willing to kill people they don't know in order to ensure their survival. This may be normal in our society, but seems contrary to the Bible's command to put others first (Philippians 2:3-11 and 1 Corinthians 10:24).

The question remains... What would you do?