Sport and patriotism [Archives:2003/665/Community]

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September 4 2003

By Abduallah Ali Al-Zalab
For the Yemen Times

Again the event of Yemeni junior team participation in the world cup in Finland has succeeded in kindling the patriotism spirit of all Yemenis; young, old, women and men without exception. All were through the past days on a date with love and consolidation; their hearts were with the national team of football that was far way from homeland.
It is a feeling of belonging to one land and one culture, a great human value I wish to prevail our life and haunt our ourselves all the days of the year and every moment we live inspire us with power, self-confidence, and pride in identity and determination for achievement, creativity and readiness to exert and sacrifice for a goal more sublime in every field of life, each within the boundary of his specialty and role in the society.
However, I woke up from my dream with the last whistle of the referee of the match between our team and Brazilian's that put an end to the game and to our youth participation as well as put an end to my daydream that haunted me during the days of Yemeni honorable participation.
Then I come back to reality and realize the rhythm of social time prevalent before this sport event, will control us again. A rhythm that is led by indifference and preceded by over selfishness, controlled by weak and destructive souls and only prevailed by the noise and incompatibility.
Why don't we remember when we work for our personal interests and our limited goals, the country's interests that are more important?
Why don't we realize or forget during our routine life and in our dealing with others that we are aboard the same boat and he who tries to destroy it threatens us all and no one can be survive if the boat sinks?
Why don't we remember that we are all mortals and no one will live forever and only our works either good or bad that will remain?
Here I do not call for utopia or the perfect nation or Yemenis should be angels, yet I hope that great feeling of patriotism to remain and the passion and cooperation values to defeat egoism and self-seeking that rule our daily dealings and our relationships and our relation with others and with the country institutions and society. Then we can only face all the challenges and overcome all difficulties that encounter and stand in front of Yemen development.
We in this historical moment and within current local and international changes and with all the big challenges, we are in a dire need of sticking to these feelings and values and to implement them especially in absence of the social and legal control means in the society.
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