Did We Win or Lose?

....Well, the US basketball team lost to Greece, amid and counter to high expectations that they would dominate, conquer and wipe-out the other national teams in the competition. As has happened in world competitions the past four years, once again the US has failed to 'bring home the gold', that has come to symbolize proof of our superiority and world dominance.

Why do we feel the need to dominate, to feel superior to, to 'shock and awe', to be the best at the expense of others, to invade and occupy, to take advantage of those less powerful, those less wealthy, those less advantaged, those less everything.........???????

Why can't we be just a normal partner in the world of nations, willing to share our resources for the good of all, willing to participate in the common quest for a purer environment for the health of everyone, willing to restrict or ban the manufacture and sale of deadly weaponry so that indiscriminate killing of precious human lives worldwide, can be avoided,.......??????

What is there in our psyche that fosters the 'all or nothing' mind-set, the 'I'm better than you' attitude, the 'winner take all' mentality, the 'manifest destiny' creed, the supremacist and xenophobic rants of our pundits and media,......????

Could it be, that underneath, we secretly suspect and fear that we are not 'all that', but in fact are really a bit inferior and insecure in many areas where we wish not to be 'less than', but in fact, really are! Is our aggressive, pre-emptive, non-negotiable foreign policy, designed to cover-up this insecurity, and then results in death and destruction to hundreds of thousands of victims as we try to show how tough and superior we are?

Personally, I think team USA's loss is good for us and the world sports community. It gives the other teams confidence and hope, and lets our players, our leadership and our country, know that we are not invincible (and we don't need to be), neither in sports nor in our imperialist adventures around the world. Maybe this will be the first step in toning down the overheated rhetoric and belief in our might, our goodness, our purity, our invincibility, our spirituality, our righteousness, our godliness, our......everything!

Our USA team is a winner...IF, they learn the proper lessons from this loss.

However, the sports pundits and others, are calling this loss of the gold medal, failure! As usual, this important lesson has been lost on them!