Behind the Curtain of Darkness

by Bob Gorrell 

We are marveling at the Olympic athletes competing in the Winter games in South Korea. Their strength, determination, and incredible feats seem to defy human limitations.

So, without detracting from the Olympic athletes, I object to honoring North Korea—a nation that allows its people to starve and be tortured for seeming non-compliance to worshipping their leader Kim Jong Un. 
Citizens live in poverty and a constant state of fear. They are brutalized in ways no human should ever face.

 Yet the reporters from PyeongChang are painting a beautifully serene picture of North Korean athletes. Do not be fooled. Those smiling North Korean faces are a mask. Death awaits anyone who defies the Supreme Ruler. They know this fully. Many fear their own thoughts could somehow betray them.


Listen to the testimonies of those who’ve escaped North Korea. They’ve eaten dirt to stave off excruciating hunger pains and their minds are tormented by images of their loved one’s executions.

The North Korean athletes are a media front for a rogue regime that would just as soon take over South Korea, and annihilate populous cities in the United States with nuclear weapons.






Those smiling faces don’t change the reality of what these athletes will return home to after the closing ceremonies. North Korea is not a place you’d ever want to live, and its citizens know they have little hope ever leaving alive.


The North Korean athletes can’t use our pity or our praise. They don’t need media’s false image of what’s behind their curtain of darkness. 

What they need is our pledge to help them defeat their oppressive government. Now that would be a real Olympic victory.

Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention

Image
We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty. Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display. The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love. Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pi
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more