During the Covid-19 lockdown in Australia, there was a saying that kept doing the rounds in public service announcements: “together apart” – it was a neat way of explaining that we were all in isolation together… not alone in our aloneness…
I’m not sure why I made the mental connection, but it did occur to me that watching the Olympics on TV was a similar experience (assuming you’re not boycotting it due the Parisians being too ooh-la-la). In Australia, we all sit remotely in front of our TVs, collectively shouting “Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! Oi! Oi! Oi!” (don’t ask me to explain why this is – I have no idea – I only know it’s what Australians always yell this at their sports teams!)
And while the Australians are all shouting their support for the Australians that are playing in the sporting competition, at the exact same moment, in another country, another group of people are shouting out to support their team… and if the event is a race, then there’s potentially 8 different countries woo-hoo-ing in unison, just not for the same team… all enthusiastically supportive, just supportive of different things.
This is turn made me think about politics. I’m not going to ‘go there’ on this blog, because the subject has become very polarized… ‘tribal’ is the word that comes to mind when I think about it. I’m fairly set in my opinions about how I vote in elections (and I have some secret opinions about how I would vote if I lived overseas) – BUT – I’m not someone who talks about it, for fear of clashing with others. Perhaps it is because I was brought up to believe that “sex, politics and money are taboo topics for polite conversation” and perhaps it’s because I’ve seen good friends turn into almost-enemies in a heartbeat when they realize that they are not as aligned in their thinking as they had always imagined.
I know politics isn’t a ‘game’ and there is always a lot at stake, so it is probably not realistic to imagine ‘the other side’ graciously congratulating the winner when they lose, or helping the loser up off the ground when they trip, so to speak… but still – it would be nice if everyone could stay civilized and play ‘a good game’.
The idea then sent me to the internet to look up “best moments of Olympic sportsmanship”. There were lots of examples of runners helping up fallen athletes (even at the expense of winning themselves). If you do the same web search – and you really should (it’s super heartwarming) – be sure to have your tissues ready!
One example I saw, which really resonated with this “together apart” theme, came from the 1936 games. When two Japanese pole vaulters finished at the same height, (behind the gold medalist), they chose not to compete against each other to see who would get the silver and bronze medal, and asked instead that a tie be declared. When that proposal was rejected, they agreed between themselves that the competitor who had achieved the height with less attempts would go home with the silver… but once the official ruling was over, they did as they’d intended, and shared the medal:
[Image source (apologies for the ooh-la-la site name if you open it!): They cut their medals in half and welded them together as an act of friendship (reddit.com)]
Anyway – today was a rambling post that didn’t really go as I was hoping:
Brain-fog – 1
Linda – 0
That said, here’s one last hazy-twisty-turn before I sign off.
My youngest daughter has a favorite song called “Together” by an Australian singer called Ziggy Alberts – it’s a reminder (to me) that we make a difference when we stick together instead of going against each other… that we have more in common than not… and that we need to keep an eye on where our governments are taking the country that we adore… Here’s Ziggy’s music video (which gave me a gasp – it’s always amusing when you finally put a face to a voice!):
[Ziggy Alberts – Together (Official Music Video) (youtube.com)]
Until next time, take care taking care – together apart, Linda x
The Mindful Migraine 
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