Olympics Commentary

When I was a kid (and even now) I felt especially good when the Jewish holidays came along. I was spiritually uplifted and inspired by the spanking clean house, the new clothes we wore to the synagogue, the special meals Mom made and the prevailing festive mood. There was a holiday atmosphere that made everyone nicer and friendlier, and I felt at peace.

For the 2 weeks of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles, I had that same feeling of well-being.

It seemed that human shortcomings took a back seat to the benign side of people. All the restaurants were unfilled, and grouchy and ill-tempered must have left town. Gloom and depression took a vacation. Good cheer prevailed.

Many of us had been skeptical of the whole Olympics thing, fearing we would be trapped in traffic gridlocks, besieged by hordes of visitors crowding us out of our favorite haunts, and overwhelmed by exorbitant parking and restaurant prices.

None of the feared consequences occurred. Miraculously, the traffic flowed smoothly on the freeways, hotels and restaurants were unfilled, and one could walk the streets without fear.

I attended several events in the Exposition Park area and was moved by the gay mood of the convivial crowd waving flags, the bunting-draped poles and the colorfully decorated temporary structures. Even the ubiquitous souvenir stands hawking all kinds of Olympic memorabilia at outlandish prices could not dampen my enthusiasm.

It began with the Torch Relay across the country during the previous 82 days, which drew unprecedented cheering crowds exhorting the runners on. To run with the Olympic Torch for 1 kilometer cost $3000, and before five judges from Thailand, Italy, Turkey, Argentina and Puerto Rico. Losers in the boxing matches bowed courteously to the audience, shook the hands of their opponents and the referees, and exited graciously from the ring.

Would that the world's leaders could settle their differences so fittingly without drawing us into their craziness.

The acclaimed Olympic spirit was best exemplified by the peerless U.S. hurdler, Edwin Moses, who in an interview after winning his concessionary gold medal said: "I feel like a citizen of the universe."

Even the wave of patriotism and national spirit evidenced in the partisan rooting for the American athletes seemed more celebratory and self-congratulatory than obnoxious or provocative.

For that short period a time warp was created in which the elevated mood of Cinderella, Camelot and all the fairy tales were resurrected. It was Fantasy Land, good will reigned, and the populace was joyous. Los Angeles was verily the City of Angels.

Sociologists, psychologists and demographers will have a field day trying to figure out the whys and wherefores of the transitory Olympics period of harmony and good cheer.

All too soon it ended. As Mayor Tom Bradley said: "The Games are over; let the traffic begin."

That particular mood legacy of the XXIII Olympic Games in Los Angeles revived in me a glimmer of hope for a better world. It was priceless and will long be remembered and cherished.