Page 1559 - 1970S

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Personal
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nacional rivalries, jealousies, and dif–
fcrences of al! lcinds, and wich consid–
eracions of polüics, race, religion,
wealrh and social status
eliminated.
8EAUT1FUL,
aftruistic
THOUGI rr!
There's just one rhing wrong wirh ir
- HUMAN NATURE!
Let's go back over thar beautiful
rccipe for world peacc again. First,
rhese athleres were supposed ro be
broughr rogcrher on che
friend~y
fields
of amateur sport. Bur che fields of
sport ar Munich wcre not so
I'RlENDLY! exr, che fricndly arhletcs
wcre supposed
ro
be UNMINDFUL of
nacional rivalries. Yer che WHOLE
THrNG is a matter of rivalry bcrwccn
onc narion and anorher. They wcre
supposed ro be unmindful of jcal–
ousies and differences of all kinds.
WHAT???
Human nature un–
mindfuJ of jcalousies and differcnces
of al! kinds? Jusr whac IS human na–
cure, anyway? Ir is VANITY, lusr and
greed,
and jealousy, envy, rcsenrmcnr
and hatred. How many human beings
do you know char are UNMIN"DFUI. of
any of rhose rhings?
They were supposed
ro
leave not
only rheir human nacures at home,
buc also ro eliminare considerarions
of politics, race, religion, wealrh and
social status as well.
Were there any politics and race
considerations when che black Afri–
can narions, by POLI'fiCAL PRESSURE,
forced che wirhdrawal of Rhodesia
bcfore the games starrcd? Did that
promote world peacc? Avery Brun–
dage, President of che Imernarional
Olympics Commirree said, "The
games of che 20th Olympiad have
been subject ro TWO savage arracks.
We lose che Rhodesian barde againsr
naked polirical blackmail." And in rc–
gard ro che beinous massacrc of
eleven members of rhe Israelí ream by
PLAIN
TRUTH December 1972
Arab Palesrinian terrorists, Mr. Brun–
dage said, "1 am sure che public will
agree that we cannot allow a handful
of rerrorisrs ro desrroy chis nucleus of
internacional cooperation and good
will."
' 'Gooo WILI.?" There
uNIS
sorne of
ir rhere - but there was plcnty of
BAO will, roo!
Of course che one great tragedy ar
Munich was che violent massacre of
eleven Israelí athleces by Arab Pales–
tinian cerrorists. Thac was che rragic
scain on che enrire
1972
games. Ir's
rruc. of course, as poinred our in a
London
Times
edirorial, rhar che
Mo–
TIVE for rhose killings had noching ro
do wirh che Olympic games, yet rhere
is a connecrion, because, as rhc edito–
rial pointed out, "The gamcs have be–
come a pol irical spectacular, as wel l as
an arhlcric celebrarion." Then the
Times
edirorial continues: '·They (rhe
Olympic games] were refounded in
rhe modern age with a
political in–
tent .
..
'ro
help
ro
consrrucr a better
and more peaccful world.' Ir is not
rhe absence of that ideal, but irs
cor–
ruption
thar now rhrearens their
fu–
cure."
And that pinpoinrs che whole fal–
lacy. Wirh human nature, rhere is
corruprion.
Thcre was che deplorable incidenr
of rwo
U.
S. arhletes, winning first
and second in che 400-meter dash.
The second place man, in defiance of
the rules, stepped up with che first
place man on che rop plarform ar rhe
rime of che presenrarion of che med–
als. Ar each such meda! prcscnrarion,
che (lag of rhe nation of che firsr-place
winner was hoisted above che Aags of
che orher rwo, and the band played
rhat counrry's nacional
anthem.
These
rwo conrempruous athleres insolenrly
looked away from che srars and
stripes, swinging their medals, stand–
ing "ar ease" in an indolent manner,
whilc anorher black athlere from an
African countrv - the third-place
winncr - faced che srars and srripcs
rcspecrfully, a
e
attenrion and standing
erccr as rhc
U. S.
nacional anrhcm was
being played. Leaving che vicrory
stand, rhe insolent
U. S.
arhleres con–
rempruously whirled their medals,
and gave che "black power" salute.
Would rhey have been shot for TRBA–
SON, had rhis happened about 75
years ago? The InrernarionaJ Olympic
aurhoriries banned them from Olym–
pic competition FORllVER, but instead
of rrying them for rreason, che
U.
S.
oflícials prorested rhe ban.
There wcre a number of orher of–
fenses of bad spomrnanship. But
whar
1
want
ro
emphasize is chis:
There is a CAUSE for every clfecr.
There is a CAUSE for the LACK of
peace in rhc world. And if there is
cver
ro
be
world PEACI:, there has ro be
a CAUSE ro produce ir.
And what IS rhat CAUSE - what
is
che Wt\Y
tO
peace'
le
is COOPERATION
-a spirit of OUTGOING CONCERN for
rhe
cooo
and welfare of OTHERS -
and rhe spirit of COMPETITION is che
vcry OPPOSITE of rhat way.
Mankind docs nor sec ir rhat way.
The Spirir of God is the Spirir of
LOVE - of ouTgoing concern for che
welfare of orhers - rhe spirir of giv–
ing, serving, sharing, helping.
The Olympic gamcs are based on
the spirit of COMPETITION. This is
conrrary ro che spirit of giving, shar–
ing - of ourgoing concern for che
good or wclfare of orhers. Ir is
con–
lrary
ro che
\Y!
AY rhar causes PEACE.
I
t
is che
\Y!
AY of human nature - of
vaniry, grecd, desire for SELF-gain,
SElF-reward. lt is che way rhat has
CAUSED rivalry and wars.
In our very present generarion,
\XtORLD PEACE is going
tO
come!
How?
By
changing
human narure!
Bur that's IMPOSSI
OLE,
you say?
By
man, yes. But more than 1900
years ago Jesus Christ carne with che
mosr rremendous ANNOUNCEMENT
chis wodd has ever heard. They pul
Him ro dearh becausc of that Mes–
sage. Few roday know whar ir was.
Let's cake a guick look at
d1e
as–
ronishing facr.
Look, firsr, ar an asronishing
prophecy. Ic's found in rhe book of
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