In common
On Ronald Reagan, the Olympic Games, and things that everyone shares with everyone else
The Olympic Games offer a vivid reminder every other year that the shared aspects of humanity far outnumber the ones that differ. The circumstances of any individual athlete’s journey to the world’s most elite competitive event will differ, but any biographical tale originating anywhere will contain themes that are instantly familiar to anyone: Support and encouragement from friends and family, the thrill of victory, the challenge of self-discipline, the value of a good coach, the rewards of sacrifice. The setting could be anywhere, but the fundamental motivations remain the same.
■ In 1988, then-President Ronald Reagan gave a speech in which he pointed to the Revolutionary War with these words: “We learned then that the God-given love of freedom that fills every human heart with strength is the greatest force the world has ever known. No empire, no tyrant, no ruling party can resist it forever. To stand on the side of human freedom is truly to stand on the side of history.”
■ Reagan was right back then. And his words are no less true today. It may go suppressed. It may be in hiding. It may lie dormant beneath other concerns -- concerns that might be as immediate as obtaining food or shelter.
■ But in the end, the general feeling is almost universally true. What’s sad is when that common thread goes unrecognized, especially by people who ought to know better. Freedom has moments when it is ascendant, and it has moments when it is pushed into some measure of retreat. But the human spirit remains the same: The same instinct for freedom is and will always be hugely influential over the long run of human affairs. Anyone who ignores it for (or because of) their own power is only deferring trouble.
