Like the Olympics, many religions are competitive in nature. They compete against demonic forces, other theologies and the political climate. The prize is the spread and continuation of a faith, if not dominance and control. The prowess of an athlete is often a symbolic mirror to the prowess of a country. When our athletes win, our country is also proven superior, or so we tell ourselves.
The issue is not really sports or religious intolerance. It is our innate competitive nature and our inability to honor and accept those of different faiths or graciously acknowledge when someone beats us.
When we become attached to the idea that winning a contest defines us as a person or a country, we will suffer if we don’t get our perceived victory. Likewise, if we view another country’s religious intolerance as intolerable, we also set ourselves up for suffering as we will become angry and want to punish them.
Buddhism believes in noncompetitive and nonviolent solutions in all situations where behaviors try to separate people, or countries, and cast them as winners or losers.
One of the best examples of true sportsmanship is the Special Olympics. We all rejoice in their efforts and there are no losers! Perhaps our world Olympics could learn a lot from these compassionate and loving persons.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the root of suffering .¤.¤. and may the Dodgers win the World Series, or not.
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