As I informed everyone last night, the 2012 Paralympics have begun. With this new beginning, another Opening Ceremonies is performed for the world's entertainment and education. These Opening Ceremonies astonished me with their magnificent message, music, and celebrity guests.
The overall theme of the Opening Ceremonies was Enlightenment. This journey of knowledge and discovery was communicated perfectly throughout the ceremonies. The Opening Ceremonies began with Stephen Hawking, a celebrated theoretical physicist who has a motor neurone disease that has paralyzed him, introducing the idea of the human race being without limitations like the galaxy. From this, dancers performed a dance simulating the big bang, which captured every viewer's eye due to the intricacies of the choreography and use of props. The dance movements performed depicted how people manipulate and play with space and gravity.
Through this dance another message was also communicated for the audiences everywhere. Through the transition from the big bang to the creation of the world and society, the message of how people need to stop judging others by how they look, and rather look deeper at a person's character, was displayed for viewers everywhere. This is an important idea that I think is rarely focused on. More often than not, people judge and make friends based on their peer's superficial surface details rather than their inner character. A person should not be judge based on what clothes they wear or how they look, but on how they act.
The Opening Ceremonies continued with Sir Ian McKellen, actor who brought to life the roles of Magneto and Gandalf, guiding the main character, Miranda, through the world of literature and societal characteristics. A large book was introduced to the stadium, symbolizing human rights and equality, in order to represent some of the values that the Paralympics hold close to their hearts and try to promote through the games. During this section of the Opening Ceremonies, a choir of over one hundred people entered the stadium floor singing a song that celebrated science and the human endeavor. The sound the choir performed was some of the most touching music that I have ever had the pleasure of hearing.
After this section of the ceremonies, Queen Elizabeth entered the stadium to officiate the Ceremonies. Her participation in the Paralympics makes her one of the few leaders of a host country that has made an appearance at both the Olympics and Paralympics. Prince William and Kate were in attendance as well, serving as prime examples of support for the Paralympics. As the traditional section of the Opening Ceremonies continued, the UK wheelchair basketball team brought the Paralympic flag forward to be raised above London. This continued a tradition of the Paralympic and Olympic ceremonies that many hold dear to the hearts. The countries also made their way into the stadium celebrating all of the athletes who have the opportunity to represent their country and people who live with impairments daily. The United States made it to the Paralympics with 340 competitors and coaches. This makes the US one of the countries to watch throughout the games due to their strength in a wide variety of events.
A trio of Paralympians then set the Paralympic torch aflame. The first was future triathlete who plans to compete in the Paralympics of 2016 in Brazil. The torch was then passed to a current Paralympic athlete, a member of the UK's blind soccer team lead by the future contestant. The torch was then handed to a Paralympian from the very first Paralympics of Rome in 1916 that lit the London torch to symbolize the beginning of the 2012 Paralympics.
After the countries were introduced into the stadium, Ian McKellen once again highlighted literature by guiding the audience through the "Brave New World" created by books read worldwide. During this part of the ceremonies, it was demonstrated how reason and rights couple together in the written word to bring about the thoughts of one's imagination. This was one of the most inspiring parts of the Ceremonies for me because it showed how people can make the most of their lives by giving their minds the steering wheel.
Stephen Hawking also posed a thought provoking inquiry during this section of the Ceremonies. Hawking asked what could be better than the fact that there is no boundary for human capability. This was very inspiring because I believe that most of the time people convince themselves that if something is hard, it is impossible. That, however, is exactly what every competitor in the Paralympics is proving wrong. Paralympic athletes have had challenges and obstacles throughout their lives that put them in a difficult stage of life, but these athletes have worked and trained hard in order to compete at an elite level on a worldwide stage. The accomplishments of these athletes prove that just because something is hard does NOT mean it is impossible. You just have to have the will and perseverance to make it through.
This was echoed at the end of the ceremonies when Ian McKellen said, "Our greatest adventure still lies ahead." Through this one sentence, the world was challenged to transform their perceptions of everyday life because every human being is different, and the main point of the Paralympics is to give the opportunity for everyone, no matter their station in life, to excel. From the "glass ceiling" being broken by the main character of the Opening Ceremonies, the Paralympics began setting a new standard for future Opening and Closing Ceremonies to be measured against.
The Opening Ceremonies were breathtaking. If you want to watch them online in order to experience the full effect, which I totally recommend, put "2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremonies Video" in any search engine and watch a performance that will change your life.
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