Change is the Constant

TODAY’S READING:
110.4-114.1

Last night, I was watching men’s figure skating events as part of this year’s Winter Olympics. I am not really one who seeks out or watches figure skating, but when it’s on as a part of the Winter Olympics I all of a sudden become quite the enthusiast (and an armchair critic). I watched as each man took to the ice and skated their free program—and I was moved. I had quite a reaction to the man who ultimately came in tenth place. Yes, the leaderboard was filled with magnificent skaters. Coming in tenth is no small feat. But there was a deeper connection for me in watching this man who placed tenth because of my experience of life.

The skater’s name is Adam Rippon. He is 28 years old. He is a US National Champion. He is also one of the first openly gay athletes to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

When he skated, it was beautiful—but other skaters were better. I felt very emotional watching him and I wondered why. While there is still room for rumination, I think I have an idea. He represents to me what was repressed for so long. Now, mind you, I came out as gay when I was 18 years old. That was in 1991, so it’s been a while (27 years in fact). What touched me was how different the world is now compared to when I was struggling with my sexuality. Back in 1988, which would have been the last Winter Olympics before I came out, watching the figure skating event was a very different experience. Brian Boitano won gold that year in men’s figure skating. While he was gay, he was closeted, as were most gay athletes of the time.

Figure skating is a funny sport. It is graceful and beautiful in its execution—very different from other ice sports like hockey which is a bit rougher. The common perception is that ice skating is more feminine… so men in ice skating tend to be more feminine in their expression. In 1988, this was openly ridiculed, but in an almost expected way. There was always an underlying idea that “ice skaters were ‘gay’” in a way that the term “gay” was meant to be derogatory. This ridicule was all around in the culture. I was immersed in that culture… and that is a contributing factor to my feelings of discomfort being a gay man (yep…at 15 years of age I was pretty aware that I was gay). So I kept myself to myself, dated girls, and tacitly participated in the ridicule.

Watching Adam Rippon last night was a breath of fresh air for me. The power behind the grace, the athleticism required to make such beauty unfold on the ice, it is something to behold.

We’ve come a long way in the 30 years since those Winter Olympics. And we are still in the midst of the evolution.

What does any of this have to do with Spirituality or today’s reading? Well, it was definitely on my mind when I read this in the Science of Mind, “The race is growing into a broader Divinity, from age to age, as more and more Reality opens before its onward march in its eternal progress.”

We are. The human race is evolving. As we become more enlightened we elevate the discourse, and the acceptance of each person’s individual uniqueness. What a glorious thing to behold!

In 1988 I never considered that I would, in my own lifetime, see an OPENLY gay skater at the Olympics. But it is so.

We should, each of us, continue to participate in the unfoldment of life! Live it to its fullest! We are the point at which life unfolds magnificently and we can either celebrate it and participate in it and evolve with it, or we can devolve, wither and wane. I choose the former!

We are Absolute Divinity. Let’s act like it!