Games People Play

 In case you missed it, the Summer Olympics are taking place in Tokyo. I know this primarily because my news feed keeps nudging a "medal count" graphic in front of me to make me care more intensely about this worldwide event. Those elite athletes who are not currently suffering the effects of the global pandemic have been invited to come and compete for medals of gold, silver and bronze. Currently there are no plans to include a bitcoin medal for any of the scheduled events. 

I am reminding folks that this international celebration of sportsmanship is taking place because it seems to be getting a little lost in the wash of all the other things that can take place during a summer in which the earth is boiling and its inhabitants are still enduring a global pandemic. The stands for all the events are empty as Japan has declared a state of emergency due to a surge in the aforementioned COVID-19. Meanwhile, there are plenty of places to catch the bits and pieces of what is taking place, a year after they were originally scheduled. Online. Streaming. Half a dozen or more cable networks are replaying highlights as the mood strikes them. And it could be that all the confusion about what year it is may be keeping folks from tuning in. 

Or maybe the world's attention is currently diverted from the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Or maybe we're a little too focused on that defeat agony thing. There's been plenty of that over the past couple of years. Reading about Simone Biles, one of the most extraordinary humans on the planet had decided to withdraw from the overall all around gymnastics competition. For mental health reasons. Ms. Biles told the world, “It’s been a long week. It’s been a long Olympic process. It’s been a long year. Just a lot of different variables and I think we’re just a little bit too stressed out, but we should be out here having fun and sometimes that’s not the case.”

Should be fun. That reminds me of what I tell kids when we are playing games at recess or PE. If they're not having fun, they probably shouldn't be playing. But some of these folks have been waiting for years, training and preparing for this moment. The moment that came after a year's delay stirred into a pot of plague. 

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? 

Will it ever be fun again? I expect it will. I hope it will. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it won't be another four years.