The man who goes up in a balloon does not feel as if he were ascending; he only sees the earth sinking deeper below him.
–Arthur Schopenhauer
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris kicked off Friday with opening ceremonies that took place in an unusual setting, using the Seine and the beauty of the city itself as their backdrop rather than taking place in a stadium as has traditionally been the case with other openings ceremonies in the past.
The ceremonies themselves were equally out of the ordinary. They were a rambling kaleidoscope of imagery and sound that was at times bewildering, beautiful, comical, and powerful. It was a very French mix of high culture and earthiness. But it was always interesting as the performers dealt with a driving rain that persisted throughout the day.
One of the images that stuck out for me was the light of the Olympic cauldron that is on display and burns for the duration of the games. The lighting and placement of the cauldron has always been a highlight of the Olympics. There have been some stunning lighting ceremonies and the Paris organizers lived up to their predecessors’ efforts.
The cauldron was lit then lifted into the Paris night via a hot air balloon. It was their tribute to the Montgolfier Brothers who developed the hot air balloon and piloted the first human ascent of one in 1783. The sight of the balloon hovering over Paris with the burning cauldron beneath it was a striking image, to say the least.
The symbol of the balloon is a fitting one for the Olympics as athletes attempt to lift their talents above those of their competitors. And for someone who regularly employs a hovering ball sun/moon in their work, one that hits home for me.
On this first Sunday of the Olympics this year let’s have an old favorite from The 5th Dimension for this week’s Sunday Morning Music that fits right in. Here’s Up, Up and Away.
Redtree Times 