Hi guys! How long has it been now, a few days? A couple of weeks, maybe? Possibly more by the time you read this.

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To me, it feels like just a few short sleeps ago since The City of Light (Paris) wrapped up the 33^rd Olympiad.

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And truth be told, I miss it. I miss it all!

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So now, as that famous Olympic Torch commences its four-year pilgrimage across hilly lands, dotty isles & vast blue oceans toward sunny California, I’m strangely inspired. Interestingly, there exists a duality to this inspiration. The first (and therefore quite obvious) is the astonishing feats I was entreated to. Breathtaking!

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The second, less perceptible focus of inspiration came from the radius of respect each athlete emanated for his/her fellow competitors. It was like a halo!

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How pleasing it was to witness 206 nations unite in peace & comradeship as their respective athletes showcased miraculous achievements on the world stage. Humanity’s greatest, inspiring us to be more.

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Transfixed in awe, I gazed on as many thousands of super elite athletes from five continents & all corners of the globe converged on one city. With fire in their souls, they came ready to battle.

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Yes, to battle! But not as foes, or as enemies. And not even as political adversaries of differing race, colour or creed. Heck no!

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Instead, I laid eyes on majesty, totally enthralled by the giant enclave of humanity’s finest as they challenged (and often smashed!!) world records. Again & again. Those mental & physical limits that billions upon billions of worldwide spectators believed to be impossible. Unreachable. Unachievable.

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This they did. And more! And all while under the patronage of those remarkable five coloured rings. Rings that to this very day chime for: Respect, Excellence, Achievement, Love, and Unity.

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REAL-U

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Not such an ill-fitting acronym for an event that celebrates not only respectfulness via achievement but also banishes prejudice and intolerance.

Not surprisingly, I began to wonder about ‘us’. The collective us. The us in jail. The us that society has chosen to forget about, at least at some level. So with more than a heaped teaspoon of hope, I began to ponder on those proverbial, ‘what if’s’.

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What if we decided to also choose respectfulness over prejudice & intolerance? Seems doable right? I mean, in this jail-house cauldron of edgy & misunderstood souls, wouldn’t our days run more smoothly if we practised tolerance & respect of others?

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Doing so would mean we could concentrate on what really matters; and that is: doing our OWN time, and not somebody else’s. By respecting each other & steering well clear of bullshit prison politics, we might be in the favourable position to focus on building a better version of ourselves. You know, a version of ‘me’ that family and friends can be proud of.

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Not dissimilar to how we were proud of our returned Olympians!

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It is important to impart upon others that in turn we wish to receive: respect.

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Under the caring eyes of our Creator, I feel that being respectful is a great way to start a new life.

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Peace to you all, my brothers.

Joey