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| London Olympics 2012 |
London 2012 sees a wide range of
olympification frame of mind in and around the world. From London to common
people and businessmen around the world are trying to make best use of their
profits in the outlook of olympification.It is a common feature in every
Olympics in the history.
As we concentrate on the word
olympification in a spiritual life, let s see the motto of Olympics in its
historical context. Pierre de Coubertin the father of modern Olympics first
used Citius, Altius, and Fortius, which is derived from the Latin words and
means Faster, Higher, Stronger.
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| Faster, Higher, Stonger |
Pierre borrowed these words from a Dominican
priest called Henri Didon.The explanation of this verbs be noteworthy as we see
all the Olympians strive to run faster, highest and prove to be strongest. All
of us need to be spiritually function faster, reach higher and be stronger in
our spiritual life.
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| Pierre de Couberrtin |
1The Olympic Movement uses symbols to represent the ideals embodied in the Olympic Charter. The Olympic symbol, better known as the Olympic rings, consists of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five inhabited continents (Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe). The colored version of the rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—over a white field forms the Olympic flag. These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag. The flag was adopted in 1914 but flown for the first time only at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It has since been hoisted during each celebration of the Games.
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Mount olympus -Greek godess
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The Ancient Olympic Games were a series of competitions held between representatives of several city-states and kingdoms in Ancient Greece. These games featured mainly athletic but also combat and chariot racing events. During the games, all conflicts among the participating city-states were postponed until the games were finished. The origin of these Olympics is shrouded in mystery and legend, and one of the most popular myths identifies Heracles and his father Zeus as the progenitors of the Games. According to legend, it was Heracles who first called the Games "Olympic" and established the custom of holding them every four years. A legend persists that after Heracles completed his twelve labors, he built the Olympic Stadium as an honor to Zeus. Following its completion, he walked in a straight line for 200 steps and called this distance a "stadion" (Greek: στάδιον, Latin: stadium, "stage"), which later became a unit. Another myth associates the first Games with the ancient Greek concept of Olympic truce (ἐκεχειρία, ekecheiria). The most widely accepted date for the inception of the Ancient Olympics is 776 BC; this is based on inscriptions, found at Olympia, listing the winners of a footrace held every four years starting in 776 BC. It has been suggested that their inception was preceded by the ancient Tailteann Games, founded in Ireland over a millennium beforehand. The Ancient Games featured running events, a pentathlon (consisting of a jumping event, discus and javelin throws, a foot race, and wrestling), boxing, wrestling, pankration, and equestrian events. Tradition has it that Coroebus, a cook from the city of Elis, was the first Olympic champion.
The Olympics were of fundamental religious importance, featuring sporting events alongside ritual sacrifices honoring both Zeus (whose famous statue by Phidias stood in his temple at Olympia) and Pelops, divine hero and mythical king of Olympia. Pelops was famous for his chariot race with King Oenomaus of Pisatis. The winners of the events were admired and immortalized in poems and statues. The Games were held every four years, and this period, known as an Olympiad, was used by Greeks as one of their units of time measurement. The Games were part of a cycle known as the Panhellenic Games, which included the Pythian Games, the Nemean Games, and the Isthmian Games.
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Mount Olympus in Greece
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Thus the ancient Olympics was said to be held at mount Olympus the abode of the Greek gods was originally aimed of artistic and athletic performance honoring the Greek god Zeus. The Olympic connection with gods and the mounts tells us that every human being is having a desire of the indomitable spirit to olympify one’s life not only in speed, skill, stamina and strength but to achieve perfection In daily life.
“"Therefore you are to be
perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt 5:48).
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| Be perfect like Father God |
To be more and to give more
doesn’t mean driving oneself to outdistance others. This mentality of
competitiveness we see in this today world to outdo other and derive some
pleasure from it as we see then in the Gladiatorial movies is not exactly what
God intends to be perfect. To be perfect means building deeper and stronger
relationship with the Nature and attributes of God and also developing the
nature of God’s love in us and to forgive all those mistakes people around us
do towards us and leave the discipline in the hands of God.
Apostle Paul letter describe the image from the arena of
sports with verbs like “Struggle” (Greek agorizo) and strive (athleo).Spiritual
perfection as paul explains demands struggle and striving. Christian life is an
experience of struggles and strivings training us to be perfect as our Heavenly
father is perfect.
Many believers don’t understand why they are going under
certain struggles and strivings in their life. We see from Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, Moses, Joseph,David,Daniel,Paul etc have undergone through this
experiences so that they may learn the spiritual truths of God and completely depend
up God and His wisdom rather to chose the human wisdom to perfectly fulfill the
Plan of God .
Thus Paul writes:
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| Forgetting what is behind |
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict
training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a
crown that will last forever”. (I cor 9:25) and says of himself “Brothers, I do not
consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead I press on toward the goal to
win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”(Phil
3:13-14).
Life from God always promises
infinitely great thing you can ever imagine. Every thing depends on how much I excercise my freewill and resolute to obey the will of God to go…..
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| No eye has seen the preparations |
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be
glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever
and ever! Amen.”(Eph 3:20-21).
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so
that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in
every good work”( 2 Corinthians 9:8).
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has
value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to
come” (I Tim 4:8).
Selected Bliography:
2.Olympify your life by Francis Gosalves 30 July 2012 Deccan Chronicle.
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