133. Reflection on the Olympics | 奧運的反思
– Musings of Dr. Jamie C. Hsu, 2.17.2022
When we watch the Olympic Games, we undoubtedly enjoy and admire the athletes’ performances and share their agony of defeat and thrill of victory. We see numerous award ceremonies with gold, silver, and bronze medals given to the elated winners. Have you ever wondered what happens to the other participating athletes?
The odds of becoming an Olympian, according to the International Society of Olympic Historians Bill Mallon, is roughly 1 in 500,000. On average, 2800 athletes participate in the Olympics — and only 300 medals are awarded. The first eight athletes in each event receive a diploma, and their names are announced to the public. Based on these statistics, there must be a lot of disappointed athletes. But on the contrary, we still have thousands of aspiring youths training for the Olympics. What motivates and drives them? There may be something we can learn to apply to our own lives, in pursuing our own dreams in career, business, family, and community.
What makes an Olympic athlete? No doubt, talent, a good coach, and a supportive family are musts. What is most amazing is the mental and physical toughness of these elite athletes. They go through long hours of training and thousands of iterations to perfect a move. They learn how to get up after a fall or even how to recuperate after an injury. They have the most admirable courage, positive attitude, and keen ability to learn from mistakes or defeats.
Above all, these athletes display the highest spirit of competition. They have an affinity and respect for one another. We see how they cheer for their opponents and jump for joy at the success of others. The warm friendship and deep respect shown by these athletes surely should bring shame upon the people who play politics and make cynical commentaries.
For the next Olympic Games, let us focus on the athletes and their marvelous performances. Let us ignore national politics, news commentaries, and social media posts. By doing that, we’ll see a different game and understand the true meaning of the Olympics. We can learn how to let dreams, compassion, commitment, and fair competition elevate us all to be better human beings.
奧運的反思(2022/02/17)
-作者 許俊宸博士
-中譯 薛乃綺
當我們觀看奧運賽事時，當然會欣賞和讚嘆運動員的表現、分享他們輸球時的沮喪、勝利的喜悅！我們看到了無數的頒獎典禮，向興高采烈的獲獎者頒發了金牌、銀牌或銅牌。你是否曾想過，那其他没有得獎的運動員呢？
根據國際奧林匹克史學家協會比爾·馬隆的說法，要成為奧運選手的機率，大約是 50 萬分之一。平均而言，大概會有2,800位選手參加奧運會，而且只頒發了約300枚獎牌。每項賽事的前8名運動員將獲得證書，並公布他們的名字。根據這些統計數據，肯定有很多失望的年輕人。但是恰好相反，我們還有成千上萬的有志青年參加奧運的訓練。是什麼因素會激勵、驅動他們？也許我們可以從他們那里學習一些東西，來應用在我們的生活中，在職場、商業、家庭和社區中，追求我們自己的夢想。
是什麼造就了奧運運動員？毫無疑問，天賦、好的教練、以及支持他們的家庭是必要條件。最令人驚嘆的是，這些菁英運動員堅韌的身心。他們經過長時間的訓練、和數千次反覆練習來成就一個動作。他們學會如何在跌倒後爬起來、甚至學會如何在受傷後復原。他們有最令人欽佩的勇氣、積極的態度、以及從錯誤中或失敗中吸取教訓的敏銳能力。
最重要的是，這些運動員經常表現出最高的競爭精神。他們對彼此有一種親和力和尊重。我們看到他們如何為對手喝采、為他人的成功歡呼喜悅。這些運動員表現出的熱情友誼、和對别人深深的尊敬，这應該讓那些玩弄政治，和發表憤世忌俗恶言恶语的人感到羞愧。
下次再有奧運時，讓我們專注於運動員和他們的精彩表現。讓我們忽略國家政治、新聞評論、和社交媒體的议论。如此一來，我們將會看到完全不同的比賽，並了解奧運真正的意義。我們可以學習如何讓夢想、同情心、承诺，毅力，和公平競爭，提升自己成為更好的人。
