Bread and Circuses
A birdseye view of the Olympics
The Winter Olympics are ending. It offered two weeks of entertainment for a large swath of people. Everybody has their favorite sport, lives into the athletes’ amazing qualities and accomplishments; experiences the exciting and disappointing moments. High stake sports is an emotional roller coaster for the participants and the spectators. “Give them bread and circuses”, the Roman leaders said. It wasn’t out of compassion that the leaders ordered this. By doing so, they distracted ordinary citizens from their political (and military) responsibilities and kept them contented and disinterested in politics, so that leaders could keep their power. No gladiators, free bread and wine this time, but daring snowboarders, ski-jumping, artistic ice skating performances, super-fast luge events streamed into citizen’s living rooms. Cheap, fast food and drinks to go with the ohs and ahs as spectators watch from their comfy sofas, while asking themselves if they would ever dare such a move, try such a sport. “Dream on!” I say.
I went XC skiing today. Conditions looked favorable, but the sun was too warm and the snow sticky. Climbing the ascending forest path proved strenuous, enabling a thrilling yet mild descent upon return. I like to work my body hard, feel my heart beating, blood pumping, the frosty air wiping my sweaty brow. The reward of gliding downhill, feeling my body sway in a skater’s motion as I pole to stabilize myself, is exhilarating. The reward is peace and harmony in my body and mind. I remember skating, body in tune, gliding effortlessly over the ice, working my muscles with each long stroke. The glory of an athlete is the seemingly effortless output of complex motion. I watched my nephew work towards participating in the 2018 Summer Olympics. Daily 8 hours in the pool plus 2 hours in the gym. Effortless-looking performance required discipline and years of hard work.
The stakes keep getting higher. The fame and the money that are connected, keeps athletes pushing for more, moving beyond the edge of what is humanly possible. What compels individuals toward peak performance? The original Olympic Games were rooted in religion. Athletic competition was tied to the worship of the gods. During the games, people could travel safely from different city-states, as a truce had been declared while the games were happening; a cease-fire of sorts between warring and squabbling city-states. The ancient games were intended to bring peace, harmony and a return to the origins of Greek life. This notion of peaceful competition still exists in the modern Olympic Games. Do the Olympic Games bring peace and harmony to the world?
While the Olympics took place, Israelis broke the cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon and killed innocent citizens and children while aiming at objectionable targets. While the Olympics took place, European countries put top officials under investigation related to the Epstein atrocities, but America still turns a blind eye and keeps offenders in power. While the Olympics were taking place, American leaders gathered their warships in the Middle East to plan a potential attack on Iran. Need I go on? Politicians and leaders use Olympic Games like Roman circuses to distract commoners while securing their positions. Spectators worship bodies during the games, but not gods. The Olympic village maintains peace and harmony, but that doesn’t foster a return to the origins of our democratic state.
Would our citizenry become more active in politics, demand justice, work across the aisle of opposing views, create harmony if they didn’t have games, streaming movies, social media reels to entertain and distract them? Unlike my father, a lifelong athlete, who watched sports later in life when games were broadcast on television, I don’t watch sports. An occasional competition swimming, ice skating or skiing if I come across them. I didn’t arrange my life around the OIympic Games. I watched the Olympics’ opening ceremony, some ice skating, then my own activities diverted me. My body craves hiking, walking and skiing. My mind craves learning something new (AI), reading, and writing. I cook from scratch and clean my house. It’s Saturday night, and I am keeping my commitment to myself and my readers to write a Sunday post. My endeavors leave little time for “bread and circuses”. Are the “bread and circuses” offered to our citizenry the death of our democracy? You tell me, dear reader.
Dami Roelse is the author of several books on walking/hiking and transformational travel: “Walking Gone Wild, how to lose your age on the trail” and “Fly Free, a memoir of love, loss and walking the path”. Her next book, “Body and Grace, a woman’s hike to wholeness on the PCT, is forthcoming April 2026 from Mantra Books and available for pre-order on Amazon.
Very astute comments. Thanks for sharing.
Hamas has refused to disarm. Continues to fire at Israel. Not a peep from the Free Palestine folks regarding 20k killed in Iran in a couple of weeks. But why would they. Iran supplies, the weapons to Gaza, Houthis and Hezbollah. Ever wonder why during the whole Gazan war Egypt kept its border closed? No help from the Muslims next door. Sunni vs Shia? Leave Israel alone! Islam is the world wide colonizer. Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar still have and use slave labor.