Why the Olympics Matter to Me.

Watching the Opening Ceremonies tonight was moving. However, they weren't moving because I love London (although I do), or because I have an abnormal love for the olympics this year (which I don't. I always love the olympics). They were moving, because I realized what the Olympic Movement means to me, to the world, to every single person that participated in the ceremonies via television, or in person.

To me, the Olympics are seventeen days of peace. They are seventeen days when the world sits in awe as they watch their countrymen compete for the land that they love. It's seventeen days when that single athlete from the tiny country stands as a hero in a way that cannot be replicated. The Olympics are seventeen days of glory, hard work, and accomplishment. They are seventeen days when the five rings and the five areas of the world they represent really do stand interlocked in one Olympic movement.

I can't fully articulate why I love the Olympics so much other than to say that they make me proud to be a part of this beautiful world and especially proud that I root for Team USA. They bring a team spirit to the world that proves to us that we can come together to do amazing things; wether that be host the games or send our single athlete out to do us proud, we can be part of something larger than ourselves.

And that's what I believe this human existence is for, to become part of something that is larger than ourselves. To embrace the whole of humanity and see the goodness that is in every man. The Olympics do that for me, and that is why they matter to me.

And  yes, watching the opening ceremonies will be a family tradition in my household when I have children.

Love always,
Ems