The party has already begun: 2010 in Vancouver and I Believe

They’re here. Turquoise jacketed volunteers and orange vested police converge on the city. They’re here. They’re everywhere.

Tomorrow, the world’s biggest winter party and carnival begins in this grey, wet city. Is this the first winter Olympics ever held in a place where the grass is green? Where the vines are sprouting with new growth?

No matter. They’re here. The flame arrived this evening. They’re here and more are arriving every minute. It will be a party even if we all have to dance in the cool, cool rain beside the eternal Olympic flame.

This party could be thrown much more gently. We’ve swept up all the “riff-raff” we can, the cosmetic blemish on our city. Many businesses are shut for the duration, hundreds of people laid off, apparently surgeries have been cancelled. The environmental footprint…don’t even get me started. There is so much to be improved, and there will be protests, protesters trying to get the information out. I hope they’re heard. I hope the next time this party’s thrown, it’s with much more compassion for those whose need is greatest, for the people of the hosting city, with a greater acknowledgement of the economic and ecological affects of throwing such a huge party.

The best parties…they have a way of stepping on toes, leaving a bit of a mess behind, a few foggy heads. The neighbours don’t always like to have a party next door, or just down the street. Some folks show up just to disturb the shit. There are few parties thrown in the world bigger than this one, which means the world sees few greater opporunities for the shit disturbers. Yes. There’s a lot that went wrong in the process of bringing this party to Vancouver. There’s more that’s going to go wrong, and there’s going to be a hell of a clean-up operation when the party is over.

That’s always the case after the best parties and, barring any catastrophes, this is going to be among the best ever thrown.

What makes a good party? You go with some friends. You get there and meet new ones. You talk, you dance, you play games, you sing, drink, eat, shout and laugh. A really good party has an energy, an inertia, a madness even that infects everyone. And, for a little while, you forget the day-to-day bric-a-brac worries, concerns. You stop being so serious about everything. You get back some of that positive energy that’s been flagging, because all those people in one place having a good time, it’s like an amplifier.

And there’s another amplifier here. Human achievement. The best of the best. It can be extraordinary, exquisite, inspiring, awesome, wondrous. And seeing such wonder being performed, it elevates us all.

Though, not at any cost mind you. Yeah, it’s a bit corny. Nonetheless, I believe. We, in Vancouver, have been invited to this world-wide party thrown every four years for a long time. It’s an honour and a privilege to take our turn and throw one ourselves. Hopefully, in the process, the world will learn something about how to throw a better, happier party, one with fewer negative side-effects.

You’ll be hearing a lot of this song. It’s the 2010 Vancouver Olympics theme song. It’s a pretty song, sung beautifully and featuring some uplifing lyrics with a sly reference to a hero of mine, Mahatma Ghandi, who said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” I believe in that, too.

Oh, and I couldn’t embed this additional video — YouTube’s disabled that — but this is the commercial our Official Canadian Olympic Broadcaster, CTV, is showing in heavy rotation: Theme Song – 2010 Olympics – I Believe (CTV Commercial – Nikki Yanofsky)