There are many reasons why I have always loved watching the Olympics. The sense of pride I feel when an American athlete, in any event, takes home a medal and our national anthem is played for the world to hear, the thrill I get watching Michael Phelps race for his 28th medal, the smile that appears on my face while I watch Usain Bolt dance just seconds before he takes the stage and amazes everyone once again. This year, however, I have truly appreciated the games for serving as a distraction in one of the most chaotic and frightening years the world has seen to date, at least in the perspective of my 20-year-old self, and I'm sure my fellow millennials would agree with me.
Talking with a coworker at the beginning of this summer, I shared my many frustrations of feeling helpless. I read the news every morning and know it is a good day when there are no suicide bombings, shootings, or other terror attacks taking the main headlines; however, these "good" days essentially don't exist anymore when looking at the world as a whole. Civil wars and instability are perpetually plaguing the Middle East. Zika is becoming a more prevalent problem everyday. In the western world, Istanbul, Nice, Paris, Orlando, Brussels, and Munich, to name a few, have recently been home to some of the most horrific terror attacks and hate crimes seen in years. Racial tensions in the United States are high, and have always been high, and recent events in Dallas, Milwaukee, and Chicago are proving that these tensions are only going to get worse if no one acts.
I honestly don't know if this summer is the first summer in which I have been paying the closest attention to what is going on in the world or if more attacks, wars, and shootings have occurred in 2016 than in years past. While I do my best to stay informed, I feel so small and helpless and wonder how I could possibly make any sort of difference to combat what's been happening in the United States and also around the world.
The first modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896. Recently, I watched a documentary on PBS, The Nazi Olympics: Berlin 1936, and I learned that the Olympics used to not be as big of a deal as they are now. Stadiums were far from sold out, and the stadiums themselves were not built to house the sheer number of spectators we see today. Hitler, as he was rising to power in Germany, wanted to grasp the world's attention and make Berlin's games the greatest and biggest the world had ever seen. The documentary explained how this was done, through bribery, cheating, and propaganda, and Berlin's Olympics did in fact impress the world, yet they successfully hid the truth of what was happening behind the scenes in Germany and what was about to occur in the rest of Europe as well. Ever since 1936, the games seem to become more extravagant than the last. Every city tries to one-up the last and looks to create an unbeatable and unforgettable event.
It is amazing to me that in a year of such uncertainty and disorder, the world's athletes have come together nonetheless to compete in the Olympic games for their nations. While competitive in nature, the games truly are a uniting event for the many diverse nations in the world to come together, rejoice, and celebrate our differences and similarities alike. Watching Yusra Mardini, a Syrian refugee and member of this year's Olympic Refugee team, win her qualifying swimming race was especially inspiring to me. Even as the games in Rio wind down, it's important to remember to embrace the diverse opinions and perspectives brought to the table by those who are different from ourselves.
The consequences of not embracing diversity have been apparent in the recent terror attacks, shootings, and all the other tragedies seen around the world everyday. I've already started my countdown for Tokyo 2020 (I'm a fan of the summer games compared to winter). I look forward to the day in which the world is fully united and not just by the summer or winter Olympic games.
