“Life itself is neither good nor evil, but only a place for good and evil.” [Marcus Aelius Aurelius]

by admin

It was probably not the right quote to start off on, but you read and see some things and wonder why there can be such a joyous occasion one minute and such a terrible tragedy the next?

I didn’t know what I was going to write about and then the absolutely huge story jumped out at me of the events at Madrid’s Barajas airport where at least 45 people are feared dead after a plane skidded off the runway and crashed.

It always frightens me how life can be ended in a split second, when it’s creation and development can take so long. It makes me wonder all the time about the number of people who will not be coming home tonight and it makes me sad that there was nothing that those people could have done to prevent it.

Now maybe we’ll hear stories of technical faults and the like but now is not the time to discuss this. Now is the time for sympathy and I will give mine to those who have lost their lives.

So darkness is said to follow light or vice versa but the amazing achievement of those taking part in the Olympics has shown the good side of life and the positive aspect it can.

In particular, I have briefly seen the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt deify convention and wisdom by making his world record breaking efforts in the 100 and 200 metres seem like a stroll, quite amazing really.

The scary for his rivals is that particularly in the 100 metres, he was making it look easy. I always remember that during the 1988 100 metre Olympic final that Ben Johnson was my favourite athlete to watch. I watched in awe as he made the competition look second rate and it looked like we would be lauding him as one of the greatest of all time.

Unfortunately that was not the case and he went on to shame himself, his country and fans by being caught with performance enhancing drugs in his system. It was a sad end to a career that by and large withered away and died after that event.

And yet that was something that was in his control.

Congratulations to Usain Bolt, I hope he inspires a new generation of fans to watch in awe as he continues to break records and I really hope it is all done without a hint of controversy.

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 and is filed under Pain and suffering, Thoughts & Questions, Views on News.