Torturous Trail of the Torch

The Olympic torch relay is off to an inflamed beginning. The planned route it will take from Greece to Beijing will be marked by the blazing fury of protests from those who oppose China's suppression of Tibetan self-rule and its atrocious human rights record. What the Chinese government hopes to be its coming out party for the world stage may turn out to be a monumental catastrophe for its image. And, where China is concerned, the Olympic flame that waits to be lit in its soil for the first time in its history may end up becoming the funeral pyre for this grand promotional campaign.

In London, the protesters wrestled with the police, attempted to grab the torch, or douse it with a fire extinguisher. Massed crowds tried to swamp the march at some points. Crowds along the route carrying screaming anti-Chinese signs were venting their ire. The Police had the march transfer to a bus just to avoid large groups which could overpower the relay guards. The torch bearer was surrounded by a protective ring of 10 Chinese flame attendants plus hundreds of policemen along the route. About 500 to 2000 protesters were massed on the streets at any one time.

It is ironic that the flame of peace, truth and sportsmanship is being met with hostility and violence, but protesters were unequivocal is saying they were not against the Chinese people nor the Olympics, but at the brutal Chinese regime that rules them. Hundreds of pro-Beijing demonstrators also gathered in Trafalgar, separated by Police from the Pro-Tibetan protesters. Pictures of the London relay were shown in China, but not the protests and disruption that greeted it.

Celebrities and athletes earlier assigned to take part are split on the issue. Some have opted out, others anguish over the decision. That politics threatens to taint the Games anew is the saddest development of this sports event. Calls for boycott will only hurt the athletes and would not make much of a dent in the way that the host decides to rule its constituents. Participation of athletes does not mean they agree nor condone with what the Chinese are doing by way of human rights, but a better platform for such discussions or resolutions should be found, not the Olympics.

In the meantime, clashes have broken out anew in Tibet and the Chinese Military has taken control of the region of Hezuo. Many Tibetans are despondent with Chinese rule and are getting bolder in the conduct and frequency of protests. China claims it fired warning shots to quell a riot but eight bodies were sprawled lifeless. It is this system of information control, disinformation and misinformation that raise doubts about China's sincerity and true intent in all its dealings with the world at large. Blatant lies that cannot even be justified by plausible deniability, which Condoleezza Rice is so good at; can hardly earn them respect and trust. Hosting the Olympics may have been a result of financial clout, but the expected political gains from the event may fall short of target. Skeletons may yet surface along the route of the torch and during the Games itself.

The route would include Paris, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires where fiery protests are also expected. China still has time to salvage its slowly eroding facade that reveals its iron face. It may view holding talks with the Dalai Lama as a capitulation, but it can promote the same as a preference for peace and unity. Pride is the only thing that's holding them back in this scorching issue. The Olympic torch has been lit, let's hope China is not consumed by it in the process.

Haaarrrrwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!

The Troubled, Tainted Torch

The Olympic Torch, lit from the Olympic flame, commemorates mankind's acquisition of fire as a gift from the Greek God Prometheus, who stole the same from Zeus. Prometheus angered Zeus by tricking him into selecting a lesser offering from mankind. Zeus, realizing the deception, hid the fire to make it difficult for man to survive and prosper, until it was taken by Prometheus.

Over the years since the Olympics began in ancient Greece until its modern adaptation, the fire symbolized unity in prosperity for mankind. It also meant lighting the path to what is just and what is right, with the torch carrier being referred to as the bearer of the truth. Eleven women take part in igniting the flame representing the roles of priestesses in the ceremony.

In the 2008 Olympics, the torch is troubled. It arrived at the venue amidst tight security which denied even the Chinese citizens the privilege of seeing it land on their soil and witnessing the glory of this once in a lifetime event. The arrival was limited to a few thousand handpicked guests. In their effort to avoid the embarrassment of having to contain protests that would be seen worldwide, the Chinese officials have also succeeded in taking the flame away from the path of justice; and have dimmed the hopes of a people crying for their homeland and way of life. The torch is being hidden from the quest for truth, and used to illuminate a lavishly pretentious vision to conceal the inhumanity resulting from an insatiable obsession with dominance.

Politics, power play, manipulation and treachery have no place in an event such as the Olympics. Yet throughout the years since the1936 Berlin Olympics, the ugliness of these manifestations continue to grow in scope and scale. Even the men and women who dedicate themselves for their country's honor are unwittingly used in these events. Some are pressured into the idea that winning is the ultimate goal, not sportsmanship; and getting there at all costs predisposes doing things that are outside of legal methods, which further tarnishes the meaning of the games.

One can only imagine the kind of pressure that Chinese athletes endure as the Olympics draws near. Losing can create a psychological trauma they may never recover from, or may be eternally punished for, in some form or another. The flame must burn freely, and carried openly. It is the torch of truth, justice, fairness, and freedom. If the Chinese cannot carry these out, they do not deserve to receive the Olympic torch, nor touch it with their tainted hands.

Prometheus was punished by Zeus for the theft. He was tied to a rock where vultures ate his regenerating liver for eons until he was rescued by Heracles. He went through this ordeal and sacrifice for the benefit of man. Had he known this was how man would respect his gift and treat his suffering, he probably would have let mankind live in the dark forever.

Haaaarrrwwwwwk...Twoooooph...Ting!