BEAUTIFUL BEIJING !

The two beauties of Beijing, Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi

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CULT OF - 'THE PRETTY'

The Beijing Olympics kicked off to a dramatic start last Friday (August 9th) with a stunning opening ceremony that basically left the global TV audience open-mouthed in amazement at the precise execution of this colourful pageant , with elements of music, song ,dance and intricate choreography spread over a huge canvas by hundreds of participants. The visual effects were stunning, culminating in the traditional lighting of the Olympic torch by Chinese gold-medal winner in gymnastics, Li Ning,who lapped the walls of the great Birdnest Arena, apparently flying through the air! One of the most moving moments in the whole performance was the plaintiff singing of 9 year old Lin Miaoke, her sweet voice echoing through the great Arena , and causing many I’ve no doubt to shed a little tear! However it has now emerged that she was actually miming the song because the girl who actually sang it Yang Peiyi , was not considered good-looking enough for the great occasion! What a pity that even the Chinese have succumbed to the cult of ‘the pretty’ for the sake of our jaded TV appetites, reflecting the current obsession with appearance rather than substance. Imagine trying to instill the values of character over cosmetic into your less than super-model child in an environment where every add and TV programme screams out the real values of our time, we want health and wealth and beauty paraded before us…it seems that the contemporary message is ‘the race does go to the swift!’ How different from God’s perspective and indeed prescription for a truly contented and happy life, when He inspired Peter to write these words…“You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.” (1 Peter3:4) The Chinese organisers of the Beijing extravaganza cannot be criticised for merely aping the ‘consumerist’ values of the capitalist West, it’s a pity though that in our impoverished spiritual state these are the only lessons we are capable of passing on to that great country once known as the ‘Sleeping Giant’.

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Gerard O'Shea