Olympic Heat

We’ve seen a lot of Olympic success for Team USA this summer. Of course, the athlete that shines above the others is Simone Biles. She is older than many of her teammates and she is still winning.

She wins at more than gymnastics, though. Did you notice the exchange between Mykayla Skinner and Simone? Mykayla apparently made a negative comment about the current gymnastics team being “lazy” except Simone.

This so-called lazy team went on to win gold. Simone posed with the winning team and pointed out their “laziness” and “lack of talent” as Olympic champions. The rest of the team, presumably hurt by Mykayla’s comments, was silent.

Simone told interviewers that her young teammates weren’t yet able to claim their power in response to bully. She demonstrated how to do that.

Mykayla took down the original video. Simone went on to publicly praise all Olympic athletes, including her team. Mykayla is now asking for all the references to her “misunderstood” comments to stop. She seems to be blaming Simone for some ongoing backlash.

Simone spoke out on behalf of her team and other athletes without malace. She did not diminish Mykayla; she modeled a kind of truth telling. She continues to model the truth telling. Olympic gymnasts are not lazy in any way. Olympic athletes are truly the best of the best. Why should she not continue to shout this from the proverbial rooftops?

Imagine a world in which every would-be bully had someone who was willing to graciously oppose them. What if every sour voice had a sweet one to counterbalance it? What if we all decide to proclaim truth when we are confronted with lies?

How different would our current political situation be? Would young adults still struggle with self-esteem? Would racism and White supremacy have as much strength as it currently has? What else might change?

What’s your truth? Is someone trying to deny it? How do you respond? What’s your neighbor’s truth? Is someone denying it? Can you respond?

Simone Biles is an amazing woman. She’s an exceptional athlete. She also knows how to confront those who would deny her – not with meanness but with grace and truth.

There’s something about forgiveness here. We can only respond to bullies with grace if we have forgiven them. Otherwise, we respond out of hurt and anger. For Simone, I’d say forgiveness is another Olympic-level sport. And she’s winning.

Maybe if we practice enough, we can all take home the Gold in forgiveness. The world would truly be a better place. Responding to hate or jealousy with truth and grace is a sport I could get behind. How about you?