What are we Doing? Is it too Late?

Olympic Rings Symbol

Once upon a time, the Olympics symbolized a peaceful and honorable way for the world to come together and demonstrate, just for a short period of time, that we could put aside our differences, forget about what we don’t agree upon and focus on what man (and woman) can achieve when they are able to live freely and devote ourselves to personal challenges and personal excellence.

I just read about a major threat on the safety and security of people connected with the Olympics in Sochi, Russia, scheduled to begin in just a little over two weeks. The threat came from the two terrorists (although even today news reporters referred to them as ‘alleged suicide bombers’) who attacked a civilian train station in Russia’s Volgograd on December 30, 2013 when they strapped bombs to themselves, blowing up; killing 17 innocent civilians along with them and injuring many others.

Reports then spoke about related threats made, referencing the upcoming Olympics in Sochi, but it wasn’t until today that it appeared again in the news. Russian officials, all the way up to Russian President Vladimir Putin, are aware of the threats and say Russia is ready with heightened security and precautions that include wide-sweeping arrests of anyone with any connection or ties to terrorist organizations.

However, here is my concern. Where are we going with this?

If you’ve been following along with some of my most recent posts, I have been leaning them toward a bit more of a dark view with all the violence in schools, with younger children and now, with an upcoming event that has its very roots representing peace and advocating sportsmanship and unity. The Olympic symbol of the 5 adjoining rings reflects the very spirit of the way in which nations are meant to come together – not in fear of more bloodshed, no matter whether it is blood of athletes, innocent travelers and/or family members of the athletes, Russian citizens or more terrorists.

What is happening here before our very eyes? Are we truly this helpless and this far gone to be able to reverse this trend? If so, what does tomorrow look like for our children, if they survive into the future?

I remember the horrific tale of the 1972 Munich Germany, Olympics in which terrorists stormed the Olympic Village and killed Israeli athletes before being shot themselves. And in no way am I saying one is a better set of terrorists than the other, but there were specific targets in 1972. There was, as sick as it might be, a point to the attack. There were people who the attackers wanted to punish. And it was absolutely awful. But here, there is not even a regard for who might die. There is not any specific target in mind. It is senseless, even if there is a sick, twisted ‘cause’ toward these threatened attacks, the people who may be the ones to suffer have NOTHING to do with that cause. They will just be in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

I ask again and hope maybe someone can tell me – what is happening to us? And more importantly, how do we fix it before it is too late?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Judy is a licensed clinical social worker and has worked extensively as a counselor with children, adolescents, couples and families. Judy’s professional experience in the mental health field along with her love of writing, provide insight into real-life experiences and relationships. Her fresh voice and down-to-earth approach to living a happier, more meaningful life are easy to understand and just as easy to start implementing right away for positive results!