Solomonic Wisdom

Judgment of Solomon, Gustave Doré

The following couplet of Solomonic wisdom is not a contradiction:

"Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him" (Proverbs 26:4).

"Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit" (Proverbs 26:5).

 To answer a fool or not to answer a fool is a matter of discernment. Will answering refrain him from being wise in his own conceit, or will answering make you like unto him? That is the question.

A New World

Maracanã Stadium¹

When Ait Said’s left leg broke the sound echoed throughout the arena. He wasn’t the only gymnast who failed to negotiate a vault. Jake Dalton came close to landing on his face, and 2013 world bronze vault medalist Kristian Thomas fell. Andreas Toba injured his knee during floor exercise and had to be helped off the floor."

Mark Williams, the U.S. men’s coach commented on the obvious: "There’s a different feel to the one in the [Rio] competition arena than the one in the [U.S.] training gym."

It is obvious that "everything" at Rio 2016 fails to meet prescribed standards. Even Reuters headlines "Rio's Olympic Air: Dirty, Deadly and No Cleaner Legacy from Games."

When an 80-foot section of a newly constructed Rio seaside bike path collapsed in April, "at least two people" fell to their death."

The Maracanã Stadium is an island amid a cesspool of garbage, sewage, a menagerie of dead animals and thousands of dead fish, and deadly “super bacteria.”

The opening ceremony focused on climate change and how to "promote peace with the planet" – the preeminent theme of the event. The most political Olympiad since the 1936 "Hitler Olympics" featured simulated images of a melting polar ice cap and rising sea levels inundating millions of square miles of shore line around the world.

Rio 2016's legacy may eventually also include a Global Zika Epidemic or other viral conflagrations!

Rio 2016's motto is "A new world." Perhaps "A Brave New World"?


Updates:

Cyclist Van Vleuten, leading the women's road race, suffered a traumatic crash on the Vista Chinesa descent Sunday, as did her male counterpart Vincenzo Nibali on Saturday as he lead down the "same" descent. Apparently, the course was not appropriately contoured/banked for cars much less for a cycling competition. An investigation is in order to determine if frequent automotive crashes had been reported on the descent prior to its selection as a road race venue.

“Green Games for a Blue Planet” Rio 2016, in the opening ceremony chastised the world for failure to maintain climate control. Another pool turn green today; failure to maintain something as basic as pH. The only effective outdoor/indoor hygienic solution has been the Rio mandate that competitors keep their mouths closed during competition.

¹By Erica Ramalho/Portal da Copa/Março de 2013 - http://www.copa2014.gov.br/pt-br/dinamic/galeria_imagem/15037, CC BY 3.0 br, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26924555