I’ve been looking up to people my entire life. When you’re just a smidgen over 5’ 1” tall, you don’t often find another adult who is shorter. When I was teaching, I had a habit of making sure my Prep class was well and truly ready to head out to play when the bell went, so I could make it to the staffroom in the adjoining building for a cuppa before the grade 6 kids swept out of their rooms and gathered me up in the outgoing tide. I knew I’d been a little squirt at eleven and twelve years old, but much of this boisterous lot towered over me, and it became a daily obstacle course to arrive without being trampled. Wading through the mass unencumbered only really worked when I was pregnant, for they at least showed a little more consideration by giving me a wide berth.
I’ve already digressed, but maybe not. I do a lot of looking up, and not just in the dictionary. Clouds still captivate me, as do the stars. With no city lights to bother us in our neck of the woods the Milky Way is a frequent sight, and watching the stars and planets and even the international space station as it traverses the sky on a pitch-black night is worth spending time out in the cold. Then there’s the mountain range just up the road. As I put up my blinds every morning I look up to see what sort of weather is heading our way. Whether stark and clear, shrouded in misty clouds, or disappeared completely beneath an ominous grey mass, the mountain’s many moods are mesmerising.
But this isn’t where I was heading when I was gathering my thoughts. I’d started with the spectacle of the Olympics in mind, but it seems I have no difficulty in heading off on a tangent.
The on-again off-again, will we won’t we, should we shouldn’t we Olympics is now at its pointy end. With just a few events and the closing ceremony to wind it all up, whether you supported the go ahead or not, our television screens have once more delivered a constant stream of outstanding performances, as well as given us backstories of athletes worldwide whose road to Tokyo has been anything but straightforward.
At a time when everyone is tired of daily Covid statistics, athletic endeavour and achievement has been a welcome relief. We’ve ridden along with the highs and lows of our Aussie athletes who’ve done themselves and their country proud, and children everywhere have no doubt adopted new heroes to look up to. We have no idea whose Olympic dream has been sparked by what has unfolded these past couple of weeks. There might be Paris and Los Angeles still to come, but I wonder who will emerge and take their place on the international stage and compete on home soil in Brisbane in 2032, simply by being caught up in the fervour and drama of this strangest Olympic Games yet.
I want to inspire people. I want someone to look at me and say "Because of you I didn't give up."
- Author Beatrice Wallace
The absence of the usual Olympic razzamatazz and thousands in the arenas appears to have made absolutely no difference to the athletes. They’ve maintained their focus through the extra year they had to wait to prove themselves, and even with no spectators to cheer them on, they’ve been as driven as ever to perform to the best of their ability, and for that I admire them. While some mark the end of their sporting careers with these Games, others are just beginning the journey. It’s been heartening to see the camaraderie amongst athletes, admiration for each other’s achievements, no matter what country, graciousness in victory as well as defeat, joyous surprise at personal best performances, appreciation of simply being able to represent their country, gratitude for their support networks, and through it all a dogged determination to lay it all on the line after years of preparation.
Everyone should be respected as an individual, but no one idolised.
- Albert Einstein
We talk about admiring those we look up to, referring to the level of respect for those we see as possessing positive attributes and character traits, and using them to benefit those other than themselves. But there are those who elevate themselves, or are adulated by virtue of their social or celebrity status, or those who hold prominent positions, who don’t necessarily warrant the attention they receive. They expect to be looked up to, respected, deferred to, but for those of us on the outside who can spot a fake a mile off, we wonder what is going on in their head that they regard themselves worthy of such privilege.
Heads of State and leaders in every sphere have risen and fallen due to their own inflated egos, promising much but in the end delivering little, and leaving division, confusion and chaos in their wake.
We are quick to judge the actions of others, using our own standards as the measuring stick, but tend to judge ourselves on the basis of our intentions. One thing is for sure, we will never be looked up to if we look down on others. I would much prefer to approach life from a standpoint of compassion and willingness to understand, rather than one of judgement and conviction that only my way is the right way. Not always simple to do, for we all look through our own lens at the world, which can sometimes be short-sighted.
The Olympic flag might be about to be lowered and the flame extinguished, but in less than no time at all the Paralympics will again fill our TV screens. If you want someone to look up to, you definitely can’t go past this inspiring event to witness feats of guts and determination worthy of our admiration.
