Trading Character for Success

I remember watching the Olympics in Beijing, China only four years ago. The media was enthralled with the success of Michael Phelps winning a record number of Gold Medals. They were equally as excited about the darling gymnasts, Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. We heard story after story of athletic success and perseverance. It certainly was entertaining to witness history being made and seeing two of our youth excel in their sport after all their training.
Yet, in the middle of all the hype, there was a brief story of a swimmer, Eric Shanteau, who was battling cancer. He chose to withhold treatment so he could represent his country in the Olympics. One could argue whether it was smart for him to risk his life just to swim, knowing he was not favored to win any medals. However, one has to admire his determination and perseverance.
Shanteau did not receive much attention. He was overshadowed by the many victories and accomplishments of his teammates. His story was not the only one that caught my attention. Nor were these Olympics the only games that contained what I call, “Inspirational Stories”. There are many more.
Also in Beijing, a swimmer with missing legs swam in a distance race. She did not receive a medal, so there was little said about her. During the Olmpics in Athens, Greece, two female athletes, one from Iraq and one from Afghanistan celebrated after their races, not because they broke a record and not because they won a medal. They did not even win their heat. They celebrated because they could run as free women in a race and represent their new found freedom in their country.
My favorite Olympic story is Derek Redmond at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. He was supposed to win a medal, but a pulled hamstring shortly after the gun sounded off kept him from winning. As he was attempting to stand up while enduring physical and emotional pain, his father jumped out from the stands, knowing his son wanted to finish the race. He embraced his son, then helped him through his final steps to the finish line.
Although the Redmond story did receive attention from the media, many of these stories had not made the cut. Do I dare say our western culture is addicted to success at the expense of character? Do I dare suggest we have enslaved ourselves to the lie that mankind’s integrity and compassion do not measure up unless they have the resume to prove their worth in academic, athletic, occupational and financial success? Do I dare challenge our Western Cultural Values by suggesting our performance based society is leading us into a trap of deception, leading people to believe thier value and sense of worth trumps character?
It does not have to be this way. If ever there was a time to change the values of our culture, today is the day.