A Crown of Olive Leaves

The Olympics are nearly upon us, and this year's host is the rising superpower of our world. Today, I added the new Digg gadget to my IGoogle homepage and was presented with some photos of China's Olympic venues. Since I will be traveling to China within the next 2 weeks, it perked my interest.

I think that the "Bird's Nest" and "Water Cube" look awesome. The Olympics are an amazing way for China to propel itself into the global community once again. For years, China has closed itself against a world which exploited and dominated it. Whether it was European powers colonizing individual cities, or America supporting a brutal dictator, outside forces left a lasting impression on the Chinese psyche. Thankfully, the Chinese seem to have forgiven the past, and are looking towards the future. I only hope that the West can take advantage of this gesture to forge a lasting partnership with the East. Otherwise, the Chinese might be justifiably insulted by western hypocrites who decry China's human rights records while they purchase t-shirts at Wal-Mart made in Chinese sweatshops.