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Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao claimed China's first-ever
Olympic figure skating silver medal along with a gold for courage on
Monday following a display of bravery seldom seen on an ice rink (Reuters,
February 13, 2006).
The "display of bravery" in this Reuters story refers to the heavy
fall Dan suffered less than a minute into their program.
While attempting a quadruple spin from a throw by
Hao, Dan landed in the splits before crushing to the ice and slamming into
the boards. No-one had ever attempted the quadruple in the Winter Olympics
before.
Struggling to her feet, Zhang Dan was helped off the ice by her
partner. After five minutes of medical attention, however, the pair came
back onto the ice to the roaring approval of the crowd, finishing their
routine to earn China's first silver in the pairs event.
Chinese International Olympic Committee executive board member He
Zhenliang called their performance "inspiring" and their sporting spirit
"worthy of gold".
Which comes to my question:
What is an "inspiring" performance? What's your idea of being inspired?
I put the question to nine people.
Apparently having no inspiring answers to offer,
or too busy with "work", whatever it is, a few have remained mute and
silent to this very minute, as I click away and type out these words.
Among respondents, one
says: "For me, it means the performance is of inspiration." Clever, but it
says nothing.
Another replies: "In my eyes, an inspiring performance is one in which
the performer does his/her best, overcoming all kinds of difficulties."
Another says: "I was touched by the pair's
performance. I don't know if I would ask to continue if I'm put in that
situation. I wonder where they had got their energy from."
I'll venture to speculate where that's from. At
the physical level, it comes from the rush of adrenalin, a chemical
produced by your body when you're excited and intense.When Dan and Hao got
their adrenalin going in the final of an Olympic even, they felt they were
fearless and full of energy.
At the spiritual level, it comes from their will
to win, the care they have for their sport and the willingness to take
some risks, in part, to repay the people who have placed great trust in
them. They could've taken the easy way out by ducking under what would've
been a good excuse.
But
they didn't. Dan recalled after the game: "We were still empty in our
minds when we get back on the rink. We just wanted to go on."
That "want" is spiritual, which leads us to the root of the word
"inspire", which means "in-spirit".
"Inspire" came from Latin - "in-, into; spire, to breathe". Originally,
to inspire means to inhale, or take a breath.
The ancients recognized that the first intake of
air "breathes life into" the baby. With this breath comes the divine
spirit that makes humans what they are.Yogis and Taoists all believe as
one breathes in and breathes out, one exchanges life elements with the
rest of the universe, including other humans. They also share their
spiritual life with them, as done through breathing exercises and
meditation.
Hence, when we say we're inspired by Dan and Hao's performance, we
feel, however faintly for most people, that perhaps we could use their
courage, their will to win and their care for their sport in what we do
for a living. Perhaps, some day, we could also accomplish something as
great in our own line of occupation. After all, in spirit we are one and
same.
As sales people are prone to being inspired by the prospect of a hefty
bonus, I'd like us to draw some inspirations from the metaphysical once in
a while, such as from the gutsy performance of Dan and Hao.
In the end,
it's their unconquerable spirit that made Dan and Hao what they are -
human beings out there testing the human limits, unafraid of any obstacles
along the way.
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