Russians are proud of Sochi--they should be---it's magnificent---but

I hope that the Winter Olympics are not remembered for anything other than the magnificent sportsmanship and the wonderful venue. However, there are some issues that will dampen the enthusiastic outcry of Russian pride. Perhaps Russians want to be distracted from the more negative aspects of life in Russia at the moment. Perhaps they don't care about the direction Putin is taking their Mother Russia. Maybe the double standards around rights for gay people or the eroded freedom of the press are just too hard to get their heads around. The games are a distraction from the journey that, deep down, they know they are heading, as their leader thrusts Russia back to the times of the Cold War. Make no mistake in your thinking my friends; that is where the world is heading as Putin, Obama, the EU and a China who will not be content to sit on the sidelines with the likes of India, Brazil and perhaps Indonesia, take us once again to the precipice from which we thought we had left behind.
Put aside my dark thoughts if you must; I understand your need to 'seize the moment,' no matter how brief it is.
www.authorneilcoleman.com