The Death of Nodar Kumaritashvili: The Wrong Motivation?

Normally I do not watch the Olympics or any other sports competition, but in the aftermath of Nodar Kumaritashvili's death, one item stood out in the news that needs to be addressed sooner than later: Why exactly did he compete in the luger if it was only to "please his parents?" Has Nodar not only become a casualty of a dangerous sport death, but also social brainwashing into thinking that anything he accomplished, he did not for himself, but for his parents?

This is such a controversial subject that the majority of news outlets will most likely not cover this area. While I am not afraid of covering such a subject, indeed, at times I can be an "in your face" type person on psychological socialization, having been a casualty of it myself in the past. Having been told I should do a certain thing for someone even if it winds up in major humiliation, being dragged down emotionally and mentally, and kept from achieving (I prefer the word squelch) one's personal ambitions, it gave me time to do extensive reading on the subject of positive selfishness, not the empty self sacrifice which never gets anybody anywhere. So let us dissect the case of Nodar Kumaritashvili here and now:

The Whistler Track

"It terrifies me," Nodar told his father on the phone before he hit practice several days before the openong of the Winter Olympics. The track, at the Whistler Sliding Center in British Columbia, Canada, is one of the most dangerous sport tracks in the world: luging on it alone could lead up to speeds of 93 miles per hour, which may not seem fast while traveling in a car on the interstate, but dangerously fast for a human being without any outside protection. Most of us would never consider taking up such a dangerous sport for any reason, even for a medal that could tarnish in five years' time. But Nodar told his father he would do it, so that he could make his parents proud of him. What Nodar did not know was that he could risk his life for his parents.

Too Young to Make a Mature Choice?

While Nodar was only 21 when he died, he may have been legally old enough to drink, but was he really mature enough to consider engaging in such a dangerous stunt where he could lose his life?

When an individual is socialized into believing that success and sacrifice must be done in the name of family, the outcome can be very different; it can have long lasting effects, like it did on me, or even something totally irreversible, as in Nodar's case. The tragedy that hits home here is even more tragic than the accident itself: that Nodar did not in any have to do a luger (indeed, it was his choice to do so even though he could have very well told his parents "No." The whys of the entire situation may never cease, nor the memory of seeing the accident, as it had been broadcast on network television this past week. It will be more than hard on Nodar's family and his nation of Georgia, located in Caucasus mountains in Russia. The psychological aspect will hopefully encourage new, younger athletes to consider exactly why they compete in something like the Olympics, especially when their lives can end in such a tragic manner.

Risking Life for Self in Competition

If Nodar's death was not in vain, like it is right now, there would probably be less of an outcry and uproar over the entire incident. The Whistler track has been blamed, along with the type of slider Nodar was using at the time. But with the technicalities and the luge design aside, not to mention the occasional remark that "luging is not a sport", if Nodar entered the Winter Olympics for a more personal gain (in this case, the gold medal), it is entirely possible the media would have taken a different approach to his tragic and untimely death. While American society is traditionally more positively selfish (versus the reputed self-sacrifice of Judeo-Christian culture), there are in fact more individuals who enter the competitive area of sports than those who do for "self sacrificial" reasons. The big difference between the two groups is this: the former will evaluate the final goal from all angles, including "Why am I really doing this?" while the latter simply goes: "I am doing this to make my parents proud of me." While the latter seeks validation of the dependent kind and thus reduces the subject to an esteem issue, the former is more likely to compete for the glory of winning, or the agony of defeat.

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/vancouver/blog/fourth_place_medal/post/Luger-who-died-told-father-he-was-terrified-of?urn=oly,219592

http://www.ctvolympics.ca/luge/news/newsid=41085.html