No sooner had the London Olympics 2012 opening ceremony at Stratford (East London) finished – or even long before it even finished – social network sites were filling up with posts from amazed admirers, and- I am extremely disappointed to say- negative, whining, hypocritical pictures and posts by some others!

Everyone  is entitled to their views and opinions. So yes, I do understand that some people will vent their negative views. But those of you who do so- can you at least wait till the Opening Ceremony has concluded, before putting out your views??!

I have seen in Social networks sits like facebook, people posting sarcastic, negative and critical posts. I have seen how people seem to have take screen-shots of the ceremony ..and added various negative comments, their own ill-devised campaigns and started circulating those. And I have seen how others take it on and share it.

It’s obvious that the people who would have paid their ticket to get to the Opening Ceremony will in no way have taken photos and edited it all on their tech-phones and blasted them out into the internet. I imagine most people who went there would have been supporters. So the ones who have been putting those graphics out must be those who caught it on TV coverage… And if so, here’s a message to those: You are breaching copyright and brand rules – Be Warned!  Create your own graphics, or use photos you have created – for these negative Olympic Bashing campaigns – or just don’t!!

Personally, I was not all that bothered some months ago – and I have heard all the debates and arguments – about how much it’s costing us tax payers, how it’s only serving the elite and the rich, how it’s commercial, how it’s not really for the people, how it’s throwing chaos and inconveniences at the people who live in London.. etc etc.

Yes, I know it’s cost 27million pounds for the ceremonies etc. Is that such a big deal for an International event that’s bringing together over 200 countries in a friendly competition?  More Millions have been spent on far less important football matches – some of which have served none but companies that own them! More millions have been spent on making films – which have been nothing but 90 minutes of entertainment and don;t serve the world in such ways that the Olympic does. So if you are going to compare and criticise, do it in context, and do it fairly!!

Talking of entertainment – yes I watched the 90 minutes of the Opening performance show last night live on Tv, and was thoroughly entertained by it. I marveled at the theatrics, constructions, the incredible dance choreography involving thousands, the stage management that must have gone into it, the technical coordination and skills involved and so on. It may be costing 27million pounds and ran for 90 minutes – but I put it to you again.. there have been films made that have been that long which have cost 5 times as much, and have had not even a fifth of the significance or relevance on a world arena!

And those who criticize the skills and talents: here’s a question I ask-  Have you ever made a 2 minute movie using your digital camera, tried editing that with a few special effects and shared that on social networks? Have you ever organised a small party for 200 people? Have you tried doing an art work that is the size of a wall perhaps? Have you tried composing music?   Have you tried creating something with real hard work and passion..and then put it out to the world, and await the possibility of being accepted  by the friends or harshly rejected?  If you have not – then you will have no idea what it takes to create anything of the size and scale of such a thing as the  Opening Ceremony of the London Olympics 2012. And that being the case, you are just being an armchair critique. Which in my book is utterly self indulgent, childish and rather pathetic of you!

Context and perspective, please!

Assuming that all those cons and arguments hold water- what can we do?  The Olympics 2012 are here, in our doorstep.  The Olympics stated off decades ago with high ideals in mind – as a uniting force and to celebrate the skills of the human ability and it’s potential for physical excellence. Even if some of you think modern Olympics are not doing that – and only a day has gone by so you can;t judge it as such- why put negativity into the Global human Collective?

Each one of us has the power to add something positive – here and now – every post we do on the internet that gets seen by a hundred of others is a flame that we each hold..   So rather than pass on a black flame of shadows and strife, why not say something good, and pass that on?  Worse, why take images of something that can be used positively and tarnish it’s energy by using it negatively?     Whatever is happening in those stadiums may be beyond our individual influence at this stage- but what we each put out into the internet IS within or power..and we can use that power for good..

The Olympics is like a Child – it’s born now. Rather than look at what’s wrong, what disabilities it may have, I say- nurture it, and support it in some way energetically and it may well grow up to be a good human being – symbolically speaking!

If you are a practicing magician or a pagan or a spiritual being- hold a flame of hope in your hearts now, and that may actually do good (if you believe that you have power and that you can change the world – that is).

-Mani Navasothy

Related links:  Gaian Times e-magazine – exploring the science, magic and psychology of our Earth