Over but not out…
So…the games are over. Spectacular performances. Beautiful city and venues. New records. All to be expected and all to be celebrated. Less obviously but perhaps more important is the Olympic spirit, which continues on in every city that hosts a games. A spirit that transcends 
cultures and distances and our daily lives. A spirit that teaches us all, elevates us all, and reminds us of the better angels inside all of us.
Who can forget the brave skater who with her beloved mothers death not a day old, rose to the occasion to perform a personal best and ultimately win a medal? What lessons could all of us have learned from that athlete at that moment? To bear witness to the moment of a sea of humanity acknowledging not just the spirit of the athlete but sharing if for only a moment, a transcendent emotional bond felt round the world, is a moment we should all learn from.
Yes we have our problems as individuals, as countries and as humanity. Somehow if our leaders could summon up the emotion of that moment our world would be a better place. The Olympic games may be over, the spirit will live on.
Joannie Rochette has demonstrated what it means to be taken by the spirit of the games. And uniquely the audience on that night, both in the stadium but far away showed us all our common humanity.
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