United by Emotion and Dreams
One Gold Medal at the Olympic Games has the power to energize a nation.
As he stood on the podium, the notes of Jan Gana Mana floated through the stadium, and India's National Flag fluttered in the wind. Neeraj Chopra became a symbol of national pride. In his success, a young nation saw a dream fulfilled. As he held the medal and stood tall on the podium, he gave a gift to the youth of India. A gift like no other, "Self Belief". One's belief in the ability to complete tasks and achieve goals.
A young nation with aspirations has found a new role model. Knowing one of ours has become the best in the world will inspire others to follow suit. Anyone who has ever spent several hours, days, weeks, months, and years pursuing excellence in a particular domain will relate to the idea that goals inspire and give direction to life. Goals are the fuel that ignites our desire to grow and keep getting better and better every day. Perhaps the most amazing display of human performance at its peak is at the Olympics. There are athletes from different countries, diverse backgrounds. Yet, they are similar in one respect: they aspire to achieve the optimal level of sporting performance, compete with each other and strive to win medals bringing pride to their home countries. There are many stories of pain, sacrifice, struggle, and grit that comes alive at the event.
After all, pain is temporary, and pride is forever. Yet, though not everyone can take home a medal, that must not diminish the stature of the sportsperson in any way. Nobody knows how much sweat and toil has been invested in the endeavor and for how long. Every sportsperson is on a journey of constant improvement, and results ultimately have only limited relevance.
They can, who think they can.
Mary Kom.Bhavani Devi.Saurabh Chaudhary.Deepika Kumari.Sai Praneeth. Fouaad Mirza.Manika Batra.Atanu Das.Neeraj Kapoor.Pranati Nayak.Dutee Chand.Satwik & Chirag.P.V.Sindhu.Amit Panghal.Manu Bhaker.Sania Mirza.Saikhom Mirabai Chanu.Bajrang Punia.Vinesh Phogat. Do these names sound familiar? Probably some do, some don't. Yet, they are not just ordinary names. They belong to an amazing breed of humans who have demonstrated self-belief and grit, which psychologist Angela Duckworth defines as perseverance and passion for long-term goals sticking with their future day in, day out, and not just for the week not just for the month, but for years. Their dream was to become a part of the Indian Contingent at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Focused young people with the capacity to dig deep, do whatever it takes-especially struggle, sacrifice, even suffer-to achieve their most worthy goals, they knew exactly what they wanted to be. Armed with a positive attitude, Mirabai Chanu scripted history by winning India's first medal of the Tokyo Olympics when she clinched silver in women's 49 kg weightlifting event. In her own words," I have worked quite hard for this and made sacrifices. My target was to win a medal at Tokyo Olympics".
Excellence means doing the best we can, on the field of play or in our professional life. The important thing is not winning but taking part, making progress and enjoying the healthy combination of body, will and mind. What matters is much deeper and adds meaning to human life: the universal experience of emotions, cherished values and inimitable human grit. Those who didn't win medals must be celebrated in the true spirit of sportsmanship. They are worthy of admiration and respect too. Swami Vivekananda once said; My child, what I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made. Focus, discipline, dedication, patience, perseverance is part of the journey of every person who pursues a dream. The quest for excellence begins within and finds expression through actions that lead to success.
"United by Emotion"
Starting with the simplest forms like peek-a-boo and 'Catch the crook', there is a strong bond which ties play to emotions. When a baby giggles or the naughty toddler screams with excitement at being' found out'…the pure joy is irreplaceable and incomparable. Emotions are intricately woven into play, and they bring people together as few other things can. Play is a natural part of development for humans as well as animals. Studies have shown that playing stimulates cognitive flexibility, focus, ability to pay attention and learn and is also tied to social responsivity and better emotion regulation. From the simple children's version of 'who runs fastest" to the international competition among elite athletes of the world at the Olympics, emotions add flavour to the experience. Even though the world is made up of people of different ages, nationalities, from all walks of life, and are physically separated due to the pandemic: we all can celebrate our differences, empathize, and live side-by-side with compassion for one another. As humans, we are united by similar experiences of emotions such as excitement, joy, disappointment vicariously through the athletes' competitive performances. Coming together to play and compete can be a source of hope and encouragement to people worldwide of "Moving Forward" and of being "United by Emotion".
Dream On…
Former IOC President Jacques Rogge once commented: "The unique strength of the Olympic Movement lies in its capacity to enthuse a dream in successive young generations: The examples of the champions will motivate young people. The dream to participate in the Games will lead them to a sport that will help strengthen their bodies and minds. The sport will teach them to respect the rules. The sport will teach them to respect their opponents, integrate with society, develop social skills and develop an identity.
The performance of Olympians will remain a constant reminder for all citizens of the world: To Encourage Effort—Strive for Excellence; To Preserve Human Dignity —Demonstrate Respect; To Develop Harmony—Celebrate Friendship. As Billie Jean King put it: "Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life."
To dream on and thrive…Faster, higher, stronger – together…!
