C.S. Lewis wrote that, “It is not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are; the delight is incomplete till it is expressed.” Let me break that down: the end result, the finale, the culmination of our enjoyment of a thing is our praise of that thing. For example, when I see something that impresses me, whether it be a movie or a book or a beautiful view, I have the overwhelming desire to tell someone else about it. I enjoy the view when I see it, but the fullest enjoyment comes when I praise it to another person. I don’t know why humans are peculiar in this manner, but it’s true nonetheless. We are born to praise, but perhaps simple verbal praise is not the highest level of enjoyment.
And that brings us to the Olympics. Right now, as I write, over 11,000 of the greatest athletes in the world are gathered in one place to showcase their skills. They are, physically, the best of us … the very culmination of every ounce of athletic genes in our collective genome. Every time I turn on the TV I can’t help but notice how good we are. 11,000 people with superb genetic gifting and talents honed by a lifetime of hard work on one particular skill showing the world what they and their country are made of. Just the thought gives me chills.
Look at Twitter right now. Everybody in the world seems to be watching and waiting for something to be astounded by. And when it happens, when we see something truly amazing, we cannot help but praise. Just look at all the praise Michael Phelps has been given … this is our full enjoyment of humanity – our reverie.
The word “reverie” is defined as, “a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; a daydream.” When I turn on the TV and marvel at the way our species has been gifted and when I see something that is truly astounding, I cannot help but become lost in my thoughts. I begin to put myself in their shoes and think about what it would feel like to achieve such glory. I think about what I would do if I were in the Olympics. I think about the event I would be best at and what I would look like on that stage. And suddenly I’m there … suddenly I’m an Olympian. My thoughts lead me to a daydream, and I procure the highest form of praise: imitation.
Right now, all over the world, people are sitting in mansions or suburban homes or apartments or shacks or boxes and dreaming about the limits of humanity and the heights of which we are capable. In those dreams is our praise, and in our praise is the fullest enjoyment of humanity. So sit back, and enjoy these games that become infinitely more than just games. And, over all else, allow yourself to dream.
