If you’ve been watching the Olympics, you know that the wonderful actions of the many athletes from around the world…medalists and last place finishers alike…has been overshadowed (at least partially) by the actions of four USA swimmers. Some of you may remember that back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, I coached swimming, and even coached in some meets when a young Ryan Lochte was swimming.
Ryan is at the center of this failure of morals. While all of the details are not yet fully out, it is clear that Ryan chose to lie about the facts of the evening. It was a poor choice made by a man who has had other moments of poor choices. He does deserve the harsh glare of the spotlight. And yet, ultimately, his failure becomes to a strong degree our own mirror into our own beliefs about being human.
How one views the human ends up having a deep connection to how one interacts with others. As my friend Sandy Shugart queries, our own anthropology will dictate what our views are about others. How do I hold others to account unless I expect to equally be held to account? Or perhaps, as some would suggest, we are merely biological stuff with no soul and no need to care about a connection to any sense of morality, any sense of a Higher Power to Whom I must give an account.
Of course, if that is true, then perhaps to lie is simply the best answer. We have seen Hilary Clinton demonstrate this recently, though obviously she is not alone. I told you of how you can buy an entire audience or crowd of liars to bolster your event or attack your enemies.
I’ve said to some friends who are parents of younger kids than I that I wonder, seriously, if they should start teaching their kid to lie since obviously all we really want to see is a winner. Winning is all that matters.
Until it isn’t. Lochte was a hero, the most decorated US swimmer not named Phelps. Then, he embarrassed himself and to a larger extent, the nation in total. He offended an entire nation. But, is the USA a nation of non-liars, of people of high morals? Is Brazil? Do Jesus words of “if you are without sin, cast the first stone” in play here?
Ultimately, only you can answer that question. As for me, I know that I am a person who is always in need of grace. I would prefer, at the same time, to lose with grace (something Hope Solo obviously needs to learn…yet again, for everyone bashing her, how did you handle losing that contract to a salesperson you don’t like or when your kid’s team lost the little league game, what was your reaction?) RATHER THAN to lie to win.
It’s complicated, this thing being a human. I’m going to write more on this in the days to come. We are in danger of losing awareness of our own humanity, especially in these days of growing technology. Perhaps its already lost. What we haven’t lost is our capacity for hypocrisy and blindness to one’s own errors.
Maybe our first step back will be to humble ourselves before an almighty God who loves us in spite of our errors….even Ryan Lochte.