Go Canada Go!

I love the Olympics. I have spent the last 13 days watching luge, bobsleigh, cross-country and alpine skiing, freestyle skiing, snowboard, figure skating, hockey...you name it, I've seen it. I am scared for next week when my television viewing in the afternoon will go back to Treehouse or the Duggars on TLC.

I know that some people put down the Olympics as a crass display of corporatism. They argue that being the best in the world at the 30k biathlon pursuit isn't something we should be celebrating when Haiti is in ruins or at a time when millions of people are out of work. They say that these billions of dollars could be better spent. Maybe they're right, that the money could be better spent, but I think they're looking at this all wrong.

I remember being told when I was young that we all have talents. One of the great challenges of life is figuring out how to use and share those talents; they should not be hidden away. These Olympians, whatever their sport, have figured out what their particular talent is. They toil away in relative obscurity and make sacrifice after sacrifice for the chance to one day share that talent with the world. They show the rest of us what is possible with hard work and dedication. A few will experience Olympic triumph, but most will not. The fortunate ones will be able to pass the wisdom of their experience to a new generation in the hope that it will have not been in vain.

When it comes to role models I want for my children, I'll take Clara Hughes and Alexandre Bilodeau over Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers any day. Clara and Alex may not be millionaires, but the lessons to be learned from their example will endure long after the last song is downloaded from itunes. People like Paris Hilton get our attention on a daily basis for no good reason at all, so if for two weeks every two years we celebrate Olympians? I think they deserve at least that much.