http://www.livemint.com/Articles/2008/08/20231252/Standing-up-to-the-tank.htmlThis is an interesting article in
mint on Open vs Closed societies reflecting on the Olympics opening ceremony.
Most people talked about the image of thousands of people flawlessly performing in perfect harmony and unison, each one a cog in the wheel, the wheel in perpetual motion, without blemish, symbolizing perfection, of what we can achieve if we don’t get too individualistic
I was as awestruck by the Olympics opening ceremony as anyone else (although I watched only a small part of it). But there was a constant nagging feeling that something was untoward with it, something was not-so-human. More than anything else, with the wonderful performances first in the opening ceremony and later in the games themselves, China has proven to the democratic world how different it is from them. For me, it has served as a reminder of how lucky I've been to be born in a Democratic Republic country/society. I am now more proud of the single Gold and the couple of Bronze medals that have come from a democratic process than I would be of 45 Golds carefully orchestrated by the governing body.
Print