At the London Paralympics - the importance of a flag

[Eddie]

Sitting beneath the Armenian flag at the London Paralympics

 

On Thursday 6 September with our two children we went off to London's main Olympic Stadium to watch an evening of athletics. It turned out to be what the press rightly described as 'Thrilling Thursday', at least for the Brits who won a few gold.

 

My boys with their roots in England were delighted. Sat among 80,000 spectators they cheered for Britain until hoarse. But British victories were not the sole source of delight.

 

Almost incredibly, amazingly, an hour after we had sat down Raffi shouted in great exitement pointing out that we were sitting directly beneath the flag of the Republic of Armenia, directly but high, high above.

 

Though no Armenians were competing that night it gave us all a tremendous thrill, a sense of satisfaction and contentment. Why?

 

For the simple reason that for my generation at least, and evidently to some extent with the younger, it was a moment of unuusal acknowledgement of our Armenian being, something ignored in everyday life. We can go through a day, a week, a month and a year with no recognition of our being Armenian. It is as if that aspect of our being is invisible, unimportant, insignificant. It is as if only half our face is visible to everyone else.

 

Then among 80,0000 you suddenly see yourself represented by a flag, fluttering not just in your own imagination or your own home, but here among 80,000 people of all nationalities, and flutering moreover alongside the flags of all other nations, small or large.

 

Clearly a powerful symbol. It should be salvaged from those who today are besmirching it.

 

Eddie

[MosJan]

thanks for the post.. good story

[Zartonk]

Thank you for sharing Eddie!