Inspire 21 Inspiring Words for the 21st Century
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By Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, Ph.D.
I am continually amazed how we push the envelope of human possibility through the visions and dreams that pop into our minds.
I know that the dreamers and visionaries touched by/sparked by/moved by a story, are now in training for the 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics. The Greek word for enthusiasm, comes from "en theos" that is "the god within." When the Greeks saw someone burning with "the god within" whatever than god was… power, money, widsom, athletics, they said he/she burned with enthusiasm. Hopefully you, with your personal enthusiasm, will have sparked the visions and dreams of people with "en theos" and will have charged and changed children, men and women who were inspired by them.
The Latin derivation for competition, is "to seek with." So in competition, one seeks the existing limitations of human experience and pushes beyond the thought of that limitation. If one seeks only the gold medal of the Olympics and nothing else, and does not achieve it – something is lost. If another seeks with the assistance of fellow competitors to push beyond the limits of human
experience and comes in second, he/she has participated in pushing that human limit. When the U.S. did not go to the 1980 Olympics, an entire group of athletes were not able to measure, seek and push beyond their limits. So, in my mind, a group of people never were able to be measured against the world’s best and say "I was the best for that moment in time."
Stars have assisted man for a few thousand years to navigate over the earth. Somehow many have associated human Stars and Superstars as beyond the reach of mere mortals. Yet like the stars in the sky, they are here to guide us about what is humanly possible. When our stars forget they are guides… and fellow humans… everyone loses their sense of direction. So, we are back to core values. What are the few beliefs we would be willing to live and and die for. If I know what you stand for, I also know what you won’t stand for.
May the"en theos" which has touched your soul, lighten every step you take and allow you to soar to the possibilities you have dreamed.
© 1997 Austin "Ozzie" Gontang, Ph.D.
