What Tribe Are We?

I went running with Aleš this morning. It was beautiful. It's now light enough at 6:30 to see where we are going. I mentioned to him that Torah Bright won the gold medal in snowboarding last night. He said to me, "She's one of the tribe you know."

He was referring to the Mormon tribe as discussed in an article entitled "Mormon 'tribe' feels like home" in the Mormon Times by Orson Scott Card. The gist of it is something that Mormons recognize and take comfort in - the fact that no matter where we go in the world, we have brothers and sisters with whom we share a bond of common beliefs. So whether it's inviting the visiting geology student with dreadlocks that you never met before over for dinner after church on Sunday or cheering for a daring, young snowboarder, we kind of stick together.

That got me a thinking about watching the Olympics and the athletes for whom we cheer.

Of course we cheer for the Americans because we share a nationality with them. And, with a country as big and affluent as the U.S., there is always something for which to cheer. Going back, we can all remember when the U.S. Hockey team beat the Soviets in Lake Placid, NY in 1980. Or, yet farther back, seeing video of Jessie Owens winning at the Summer Olympics in Berlin in 1936. It's funny how victory seems all the more sweet when there's ideology on the line.

Being from Minnesota, we feel a little closer to those athletes who grew up just down the road from us. It's been fun to watch curling since the men and women are almost exclusively from Minnesota or Wisconsin. Hearkening back again to 1980, lots of those hockey players and the great Herb Brooks were Golden Gophers. Curling, hockey, wrestling - that's where you're most likely to see our folks shining.

Canada - as Minnesotans we are culturally and linguistically much closer to Canadians than we are to New Yorkers or Californians. When I was on my mission, missionaries from out west used to comment on my accent and think I was Canadian. I've always had an affinity for our neighbors to the north. I think I just respect them for how hard life must be up there. Plus, they are clean and polite. I have to admit a certain amount of pride at receiving a single vote to become Prime Minister of Canada once (thanks Ginny). So, when the Canadians play (as long as it's not against the U.S.) I cheer for them.

Well, you knew this one was coming. Little by little we become more and more Czech as we live here. Beyond that there is the fact that Kristine's ancestry, through her father, is Czech. Genetically, she and the kids are Czech. So, when the Czech hockey team with the great Jaromir Jagr plays or when Martina Sáblíková skates, we go wild. Especially because Martinka (as we affectionately call her) started out skating on ponds, just like Minnesota kids used to start playing hockey. With a population of only 10 million, they're holding their own with two medals so far (still more impressive is that Slovakia, with only has half as many people, also have two medals).

You don't hear a lot about Argentina during the Winter Olympics. As the country grows wealthier, though, I expect we'll someday see some downhill skiers come out of the Andes Mountains. Still, whenever I see any good news from Argentina, it is pleasing. To some degree the same holds true for any Spanish speaking country. So, if it seems that I respond defensively to people who would discriminate against Latinos, it's because they are my hermanos.

Which brings us to the question of to which tribe we belong. As we get older and have more dealings with people from different backgrounds, we realize the vast majority of us share a basic set of beliefs and dream similar dreams. So we start to feel connected to people regardless of arbitrary political divisions, minuscule genetic variations, or mother tongue and our tribe expands to include all those who love freedom, all those who promote tolerance, all those who believe in kindness.

The great chief of the Mormon tribe, Joseph Smith, put it this way:


"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things."

Enjoy the Games!

Peter