⚫⚪  NEW DIRECTION   Ed. No. 27 / ON A NEW DIRECTION ➄

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OLYMPICS

"CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS - COMMUNITER"

(“Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”) 

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The French have always had that thick streak of appreciation of all forms of human creativity and achievement. It’s no surprise that Pierre, baron de Coubertin (born January 1, 1863, Paris, France) was the visionary and founder of the modern Olympics.

The French love and have a passion for the finer things in life. It’s in their DNA.

They don’t settle for second best. 

They are creative strivers and achievers. 

They are certainly passionate and have a reputation for not suffering fools lightly. 

And they have their problems too like all of humanity.

So not only are the French behind the re-emergence of the Olympics movement but they have been overseeing that second cousin to the Olympics the modern Exposition since 1928. 

In fact even today the body that runs World Expositions is based in Paris, France…

Bureau International des Expositions (BIE)

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Culture is not the second cousin to sport. 

Sport is but one expression of culture.

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I wonder if the Expo movement like my earlier commentary about Capitalism has reached its use by date? (See  NEW DIRECTION  Ed. no. 22) 

Do Modern Expos need an evolution perhaps even a revolution to be re-made relevant today? 

(The French too are well experienced with Revolutions.)

Trouble with us humans is that we get caught up in habit until things can become the same old same old. I wonder if it is timely to readdress what Expos are about? 

Have they become saccharine exercises for Nations to blow their own trumpet? 

And that’s fine too but does there need to be something more in future at these events? 

Are they still relevant?

Then again the nostalgia aspect associated with the way Expos are presented now actually may be a plus in a frenetically changing world. The valid question is…Is there life in Expos as they are today? Without life being invited to the party there is no purpose or meaning to any endeavour.

Nature seems to be forcing a whole lot of change upon us presently in one form or another just for that previous reason! Too much is set in cement. It’s all weighing our world down to the point of unhappiness. We’re bogged down in our own self concoted malarky.

Expos are another form of the World coming together to celebrate something.  

Like everything else that’s under the microscope for validity Expos might just as well be on the agenda for self reflection or ‘expose’ too. 

Hey, maybe that’s what the expos should be about… honest self reflection for our world citizenry! But do we have the maturity to deal with this? And that is the biggest question. 

My honest view is that we don't. But as a friend pointed out would we ever be ready?

You do know that the Olympics was on its last legs as far as the credibility of the International Olympic Committee IOC was concerned when along came Sydney to rebirth the whole show.  We supposedly created quote “the best ever Olympics”.  

Paris 2024 has consummately equalled if not surpassed that achievement.

Is it time again when we in Sydney might help do the same for the modern Expo movement? Perhaps a consciously planned synchronisation with the Brisbane 2032 Olympics would make a double impact?  Melbourne might be invited to come up with another world project and we could have a trifecta impetus?

This is all big picture stuff and we humans are too much used to fiddling with the minutiae. And it does all take a braveness and energy that is so lacking in our spent world of present. To be blunt in toto we have a world without a spine.

Anyway, is "bigger better?" another question that needs debating in our sustainably challenged world? Or is a "bigger world view" about the accepted sharing of the challenges facing us all across a broader spectrum?

But, then again, if our world can keep at the cutting edge the world's biggest event for human sporting achievement perhaps we could do the same for celebrating the bigger picture value of our own expressive lives? 

Just observing, musing and making comment here. - Neville

FOOTNOTE:

I did enjoy having a go at coming up with the nucleus of an identity design and motto

 for a contemporary World Exposition.

Debatably the elements I have created are as durable as the Olympic rings 

and their message. (see above)

But all this is subject to the good and right support of many 

to make valid on the world stage.

What is your vision for YOO?

👋 Celebrate yoo!

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