Jonathan R. Schmidt

Olympics – A desire to be the best or do your best?

Are the Olympics about over-competitive fame greedy athletes, replicating the world’s social inequities and willing to win at any cost? Or do the Olympics live up to the ideals of fair play, honesty and the best elements of the human spirit?

I think the Olympics are one of the most inspirational events on this planet. Athletes from all countries giving forth their best efforts to succeed at their chosen sport. Joy, exhilaration, disappointment and the thrill of victory. While watching the Olympics I, perhaps just like you, wonder what it would be like to stand on the podium with a medal around your neck, the world watching you, the centre of attention – the champion. Whether you admit it or not, I think we all desire to be successful, to achieve greatness in sport or in life and the reason we watch the Olympics is to dream a little – that we too, with a little change in fate could’ve been that athlete standing there.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this inner desire for greatness and how it complements or contradicts my religious beliefs and Jesus’ way where the last shall be first and the first shall be last. I’ve come to think that my (perhaps your) inner desire to achieve, to be famous or successful, is actually a desire to achieve meaning from what you do in life. We often associate someone who is successful (particularly in sports) as having done something meaningful. So, while most of us click away at our computers and search for meaning at our workplaces, the Olympics gives us a chance to live through our Canadian athletes what we don’t always feel present in our own lives – which isn’t success as much as it is meaning. The Olympics reveals to us the beauty and thrill that can come from decades of hard work and persistance. It really is a celebration of the human spirit – that what each of us does is meaningful, that the small daily tasks we complete are important to humanity and that we all should celebrate our accomplishments. This at least is the goal, I believe for all of us, that our daily actions of kindness, hard work, caring, patience, generosity and the like, actually mean something and will in the end result in something wonderful and in the end meaningful to the world. In the end I believe the Olympics portray to us, not specifically that winning is everything, but that the things we do in life can, in the end, result in something great and meaningful, not only to ourselves, but also to an entire country or the entire world. It has inspired me to love more deeply, pray more sincerely, be more generous, exhibit more patience and strive to reach my potential – knowing that what I do does matter, that it is meaningful and that it does make a difference.
imagine reality.

Run run run as fast (or slow) as you can

After some encouragement from my sister and an innner desire to say “I’ve done it”, I’ve signed up for the Ottawa Race Weekend Marathon. That’s 42.2 km of running. I’m a few weeks into my training program and have moderately stuck to it thus far. Much of what I’ve read discourages people from beginning their running career with a marathon, but I’ve been told I’m in reasonable shape and if I stick to the program I’ll be okay. My training has to pick up a bit, since I haven’t fully completed a scheduled week of training yet. I’ve completed the long runs, but the flu and our anniversary meant that I’ve modified my program over the last few weeks. This week is going well and I’m encouraged by my times and how I’ve felt during and after the runs. This undertaking is sure to be a big committment, but Darlene is very supportive and if all goes smoothly I’ll be in Ottawa in May. See you there!