Join me over the next two weeks watching the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. I'm enjoying cheering for America, even when figure skater Nathan Chen falls twice. But these bright, young athletes bounce over moguls and spin through the air on their skis and suddenly the bloated national budget, Russian investigation and thoughtless tweets are forgotten.
I'm not just cheering for my country. I'm getting caught up in the surprising performance of Israel's figure skaters, or the romantic artistry of the Italian team. I'm tickled by the moxie of the Jamaican luge team, and warmed by the North and South Korean athletes working together.
Okay, maybe Friday's opening ceremony was overly sentimental and dramatic. I know the threats of nuclear annihilation don't disappear with a parade of smiling faces and waving flags. But it's like Camelot. For one brief shining moment all the fighting and hateful rhetoric is drowned out by applause and fireworks.
When Korean pop stars sang John Lennon's "Imagine" with the whole auditorium waving lights I could imagine for a few minutes that world peace is possible. I know the Olympics don't have a peaceful history. I know terrible attacks have happened before and are possible again, but no matter what happens in the days and weeks and months ahead I will always remember that beautiful moment.
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