This was the quote earlier this week from Olympian Kevin Durant.” I can tell you all I know about Kevin Durant in maybe five seconds. I know he plays basketball and at the moment is representing the U.S.A. in Paris, France at the Olympics. I can guess that he is also an outstanding athlete because he was asked to be on the All-Star team. Finally, I know he loves this country, based on his comment yesterday when he said at once to the world in general, and to no one in particular: “A lot of bullshit happens in our country. But a lot of great things happen, too.”

I want to apologize to my fellow Christians for not redacting his perhaps mildly offensive word choice. I’m not the sort of person who enjoys discerning what the “A-word” is; what the “B-word” is; what the “C-word” is; what the “F-word” is and so on, and so on. If you are going to allude to something and want to be clear on what is being said, then just say it.

In addition to knowing he is a basketball player who loves his country, I also know from seeing his photo that he is black. So, though he probably makes more money than I do, life can’t be easy for him in ways that it is for me as a white person. If I run to CVS at 1:30 a.m. for something to soothe a sweet tooth, I’m more likely than Kevin to avoid getting shot in a traffic stop (unless he’s wearing his Team USA shirt and the police who stop him are Phoenix Suns fans. And then it’s still “iffy.”) No doubt this is part of the bullshit Kevin is referring to.

Wikipedia notes that:

American athletes have won a total of 2,638 medals (1,065 of them gold) at the Summer Olympic Games, and another 330 (114 of them gold) at the Winter Olympic Games, making the United States the most prolific medal-winning nation in the history of the Olympics.”

I wondered lately why the U.S. is so good at winning medals? After all, we’re supposed to be a nation of spectators and coach potatoes. Studies show that as many as 42% of Americans are obese, with many more who are overweight.

DOES OLYMPIC SUCCESS CORRELATE WITH POPULATION?

Could competitive success at “The Games” be related to the population size of the U.S.? Only India and China have more people than the U.S. In fact, each of those two countries have at least four times the population of the U.S.. India has won a total of 6 medals in Paris as of Saturday afternoon. China has won a total of 89. The U.S. has won 121.

DOES FUNDING = SUCCESS?

Or, is success a matter of funding? Does the U.S Olympic Committee provide more cash for U.S. athletes than other countries do for their national teams? Cash can provide recruitment of future athletes and better training facilities.

Perhaps it is due to racial diversity?

RACIAL DIVERSITY IN OLYMPIC SPORTS

There seems to be more athletes of color this time around than ever before, certainly since Jesse Owens performed in front of Adolph Hitler in 1936. And, there are many more women representing their countries in womens’ sports than ever before. We can see this diversity in the American team as well as those of other nations. Yet, many other countries from Europe, Asia or Africa (to name just a few continents) lack this same degree of diversity that we have representing the U.S.. This is not an indictment, but merely an observation.

Nor am I patting the back of Uncle Sam. Americans today should feel contrite and humble when they survey their past. Most races have not been historically welcomed in America. Territory in the U.S. was wrongfully taken from the Red Amerindians by the White Europeans. Between 1525 and 1866, total of 12.5 million Africans were brought to our shores in chains as slaves. People from Asia were used as cheap labor in the nineteenth century and disrespected and discriminated against–even locked up in internment camps in the twentieth century during World War II. More bullshit. It has not been an easy road for people of color to feel welcome, respected and to succeed in America. Countless people, patriots of color, have died along the way to make this possible for their children. America remains a beacon of hope to the world and people can rise to their full potential if we let them. We cannot achieve true greatness by repeating the mistakes of the past.

So, perhaps racial diversity is what makes America Great? Maybe greatness comes from inclusion and not from exclusion? If so, someone ought to let all Americans in on the secret as we chose our next president.

I know that athletes sometimes go nuts. Black, white, brown, it makes no difference. They drink and drive, do drugs, beat people up, have run-ins with the law and so on. I know that from living an hour away from Dallas, TX for forty years. And I know that Dallas is no exception as far as American cities and sport franchises are concerned. You know it, too! Maybe Kevin has done things he is not proud of (it happens to all of us.) I just don’t know him. But enough about Kevin. What about YOU?!

THE ROAD AHEAD

I’m a Boomer. You can be a bitter Boomer, or a cynic of any age. That’s your choice; to be, or not to be. And if you vote this November, your temperament may very well dictate who you vote for. Bitter Boomers choose politicians who spout bitter messages. This is because a negative message resonates within that particular voter. He or she becomes witness to, and participates in, a confirmation bias. But if you are a Kevin, and not a Karen, you understand that one bad apple does not necessarily ruin the whole basket. One rogue cop does not undo that honorable service and self-sacrifice of the ninety and nine other police officers. You understand that whatever our shortcomings are at this moment as a nation, we can be better. We must be better! And if this is your conclusion, you’ll look for candidates with a more positive message. You will understand as Kevin does that: “A lot of bullshit happens in our country. But a lot of great things happen, too!”

In my opinion and for what it’s worth, our greatness does not lie in our past, but in our future. It is just over the next mountain, across the Western Sea like an undiscovered continent, which we can reach if we all pull together.