Ancient Greece held a truce they called "olympic peace" in order to allow conflicting tribes to pass through one anothers' land to get to the olympic stadium.(Picture: Arcadia remains as they look today)
In 1993 the U.N. Assembly revived the truce by adopting it for our current Olympic Games.
The torch should be almost to Beijing by now, and others are on their way. There also comes a band of motorcyclists up the ancient Silk Road by way of Messinia in the Peloponnese. They bring with them a branch from the oldest living Olive tree in Greece. They hope to promote cross cultural dialogue, and act in association with the Council of Europe and Greek foreign ministry. As they ride, these peaceful warriors, let us settle in to what I hope will be a truce on all fronts, until all who attend and appreciate the 2008 Olympic Slogan of "One World, One Dream" are safely home.
Team spirit, at least in the West, is a great cultural norm which builds strong character and feeling of one-ness with team members, family, friends, extending to community, and ultimately to the world. A right of passage of sorts from the neediness of childhood to the strong bonds formed for lifetimes, respect for each other is a core component of the heartbeat of our very existence: Love.
According to the International Olympic Committee the purpose of the games it to "promote peace through sport and the olympic ideal". Olympic organizers hope the slogan "One World, One Dream" will "build deeper friendship among all nations". I say "Amen"... Let the games begin!
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