Pat and I have been to Paris several times, so we were eager to watch the opening of the Summer Olympics there. We knew we would see familiar haunts, which excited us. The creativity and style of Parisians appealed to us too. In some ways, the official opening events exceeded expectations.
Rather than a huge sports arena, it was sheer genius to make full use of the Seine River that cuts through Paris. The was a boat parade instead of the incoming march of uniformed athletes, nation by nation.
Before the procession, one of the bridges was converted into screen of water and smoke that parted to reveal the show’s start. We could hear the crowd gasp in surprise, then cheer with delight. That was just the beginning of the night.
The opening pageant committee pulled out all the stops, acknowledging contributions made by author Victor Hugo, painter Vincent Van Gogh and others. The bells of Notre Dame were rung for the occasion, the first time since the cathedral burned. There was a grisly reminder of the French Revolution on the walls of the old court building.
Celine Dion concluded the night with a vocal tribute to the great Edith Piaf. Even with a steady rain, people were thrilled by it all. Almost all, that is.
It was wonderful, except for a blunder on the committee’s part. By now you have probably seen the segment reminiscent of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” depicting Jesus sitting in the middle of a long table with disciples on either side of him.
There is little chance that it is historically accurate. For one thing, we have no idea what Jesus and the disciples looked like. For another, traditional Jewish feasts were celebrated at U-shaped tables.
Da Vinci did his work with care and reverence, the re-enactors not so much. Their performance was disrespectful.
I cannot believe that anyone involved knew exactly what they were doing and how it would likely be received. They could not have been so clueless it never occurred to them their version of The Last Supper was offensive.
They knew what they were doing and how people would react. None of them apparently had the courage, decency or respect to say “no.”
Instead, they chose to make a mockery of one of the most important sacraments in all Christianity. If they meant to offend, they succeeded. It sent a message of “We don’t care about you or your feelings.”
Why do people behave that way? It was not just this Olympic tableau; it happens when someone torches a wilderness area or purpose, or when protestors throw soup on beloved statues. Sprays graffiti on monuments, desecrates places of worship and/or vandalizes something.
We have all seen news reporters standing post-blaze with fire victims who say things like, “We lost everything but at least we are all alive.” They view life as sacred.
Others will say, with tears in their eyes, they saved at least some family pictures. Those photographs might be colored pieces of paper to you or me; to that family, they are sacred relics.
Our quest to preserve sacred things in life include our reaction when someone tries to burn an American flag. I tend to take that personally.
I had an ancestor seven generations back who risked his life to join Gen. Harry “Light Horse” Lee’s Virginia militia during the American Revolution. Four generations ago another branch of my family came here and pledged allegiance to the Stars and Stripes.
It is the flag under which my father and his brothers served in World War II. Pull down, trample it or try burn it, you desecrate my heritage. I see you try and we are apt to have a Come to Jesus moment then and there.
I believe this applies to flags of all nations. We may disagree on their policies, but our respect is the glue of our common humanity. Showing contempt for anyone’s flag is more than an insult; it threatens their peoples’ survival.
Organizers of the French Olympics fiasco could have chosen respect for that. They did not.
Called to account for the hurt their display caused many, they said the central figure of their Last Supper was Dionysus, the ancient Greek god of winemaking and fertility, not Jesus.
Then came the expected, ubiquitous apology: If we happened to have hurt anyone …
Maybe Dionysus was the original plan, maybe not. Never judge others’ motives.
Then again, maybe they decided to be offensive.
If so, we must speak up and let them know.
