DAVID BROOKS: Dancers, especially at the opening ceremony, smile in warmth and friendship……..After the opening ceremony is over, the Olympics turn into a celebration of the competitive virtues: tenacity, courage, excellence, supremacy, discipline and conflict.
The world, unfortunately, has too many monomaniacs….One [political] faction champions austerity while another champions growth…….The right course is usually to push hard in both directions……to thrive amid the contradictions.