Known for freedom, France has changed the course of human civilization many times, such as through the French Revolution, and some great writers like Hugo and Balzac, whose works are deeply rooted in the people's hearts and have a far-reaching influence. I still remember the plot of Les Misérables, which I had read when I was young, and the song "Do You Hear the People Sing?" is still ringing in my ears. France is admired as an advocate and defender of human rights.
The Olympic Games were the first competition that mankind brought together people from different regions in the form of sporting competitions. Winning the gold medal is not the only purpose of the Olympic Games; people of different cultures, races, and genders meeting each other, respecting each other, appreciating each other, and making common progress are the spirit of the Olympic Games.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is a global event. In 1984, when the PRC participated in the International Olympic Games for the first time, the opening ceremony shocked the Chinese people, who had just begun to reform and open up. All Chinese people realized for the first time that the opening ceremony of sports competitions could be so attractive! Later, the song "Hand in Hand" at the Seoul Olympic Games in South Korea became a classic and was sung around the world.
Because of this, like many Chinese families, my family and I overcame the inconvenience caused by jet lag and stayed by the TV on time to watch the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the beginning of the opening ceremony, we deeply appreciated the difference between the two. My comment is that it’s not as expensive as before, and there is a simple elegance everywhere, which is very commendable because the Olympic Games focus on participation rather than comparing financial resources. But as the opening ceremony went on, I started to feel discomfort, forcing me to ask my six-year-old son to stop watching TV and hurry to bed.
The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games should show the beauty of sports and promote the unity and progress of mankind instead of showing extreme cases and creating divisions to protect the minority in the name of infringing on the interests of the majority! We respect the understanding and practice of individual groups on some issues, but there are things that should not be publicized in front of billions of viewers. The nudity, polyamory, and multi-gender characters in the programming have nothing to do with the Olympic theme. At the end of the opening ceremony, Christianity and the Last Supper, a sacred painting, are ridiculed. Is it true that this represents the spirit of freedom and the spirit of France? When I began to learn English, I knew that the protection of children in the West was very strict, and even the methods used by Chinese people to educate children were considered illegal in the West. I very much agree with that. Moreover, in English jokes, husband and wife are often made up of stories, which shows the importance of the family relationship in Western culture. But in the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, there is no such fine tradition of Western civilization, and instead, there is much bad impact on the family, gender, and children.
I never had any children even after I had been married for more than ten years, but I have never given up because I believe that children are a gift given to couples from heaven. I finally had a son when I was nearly fifty years old, so I love him and educate him with all my heart, hoping that a healthy and normal life can make him grow up happily and contribute to the world. At least I hope he can feel that his parents, teachers, and classmates love him, and he loves these people. Love is the same for all people in the world, no matter what race people are or what creed people have, because everyone needs to love and be loved.
Everyone has a role and a mission. As is often asked in philosophy, “Where did I come from, and where am I going?”
No matter how much technology advances, humans are the real masters.
Basic human values should be protected. What we give to the next generation should not only be iPhones, electric cars, and AI, but more importantly, love, respect, and responsibility for life!
I believe our children will have a better life than we do, but they need the right guidance. “A failure to teach a kid well is a fault of the father; unstrict teaching is a failure of the teacher.” This is the foundation of Chinese education.
Adults are role models for children.
How can we look into the lovely and innocent eyes of our children and tell them what a messy world this is?
Unfortunately, the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games did not give the children an expected good answer, it was full of extremely selfish ugliness, and it showed a stage of self-righteous narcissism that mocked others and did not care about other people's feelings. This is not the Olympic spirit, nor is it the human rights that France has always defended.
For the sake of the children's future, we should bravely shout, “Stop your sins and return to the sun!”
(The writer of this article is a grassroots pastor of an urban church born in the 1970s and the founder of an NGO.)
- Translated by Nicolas Cao
