Something to believe in
Aug. 20th, 2004 09:54 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darren_strangerThat little outpouring yesterday proved more useful than i'd thought, not just as catharsis but also to make me realise how much i want to get back to my old, more positive self.
To that end, i've decided to stop focussing so much with what's rotten in the world and the human race, which i'm pretty well versed in already, but to try to find examples of what's right with it all, things to inspire and remind us what we could be like if we want.
One such thing that i remembered was this. A couple of months back, some people from my taekwondo club went as part of an Australian contingent to Korea for a big taekwondo festival and competition they have every few years. While there, they encountered a team from Afghanistan, competing for the first time. When some of the junior kids saw the pitiful state of the worn-out shoes and equipment the Afghani kids were using they decided off their own bat to have a quick whip-round among their parents and other Australians, and bought new shoes and equipment for them. Apparently it went down a treat.
Little things like that remind me why we just might not be irredeemable as a species, what our values as a culture could really stand for, and even how sport could be something better than a glory-seeking ego trip.
More of it, i say.
To that end, i've decided to stop focussing so much with what's rotten in the world and the human race, which i'm pretty well versed in already, but to try to find examples of what's right with it all, things to inspire and remind us what we could be like if we want.
One such thing that i remembered was this. A couple of months back, some people from my taekwondo club went as part of an Australian contingent to Korea for a big taekwondo festival and competition they have every few years. While there, they encountered a team from Afghanistan, competing for the first time. When some of the junior kids saw the pitiful state of the worn-out shoes and equipment the Afghani kids were using they decided off their own bat to have a quick whip-round among their parents and other Australians, and bought new shoes and equipment for them. Apparently it went down a treat.
Little things like that remind me why we just might not be irredeemable as a species, what our values as a culture could really stand for, and even how sport could be something better than a glory-seeking ego trip.
More of it, i say.
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no subject
Date: 2004-08-20 12:40 am (UTC)Glad you are feeling better today mate.
A little goes a long fucking way.
Have a great weekend!
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Date: 2004-08-20 12:54 am (UTC)Thanks for reminding me about the little stuff that counts, and have a great one yourself.
:)
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Date: 2004-08-20 01:10 am (UTC)Thank you for sharing that little story. It is really easy to get bogged down in the badness of the world and get overwhelmed.
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Date: 2004-08-20 08:02 am (UTC)Im gonna try and point out good things in my journal as well. We do need to be reminded of what we're capable of.