Tragic day today when an Olympic athlete who had his whole life ahead, and a very promising for that matter, ends it in a matter of seconds. Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili crashed during training on a track apparently made too fast and too dangerous. Just yesterday during a workshop about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People we discussed the competitive nature of many societies. When is a competitive nature healthy? Under what circumstances does it make us better people, under which ones is detrimental?

The frailty of the human body is not something we like to recognize very often. Sports that seriously risk the lives of competitors should be reevaluated. Seeking to make the games more attractive, more daring to garner larger audiences and consequently higher monetary payoffs is not justified. These games as any other sport should highlight the human spirit, and respect the sanctity of the lives of all participants.