More Americans recognize Nike as a label in sports clothing than as the Greek goddess of victory, but they honor her altar. For Americans, hosting the Olympics in Atlanta this week, the quadrennial competition is no less a religious festival than it was for the ancient Greeks.
Victory pervades the national idiom.
Americans speak of winning the west, launching corporate takeovers, conquering cancer and waging war on drugs. Even the most tender of emotions is described as a conquest of the heart. It's the only thing. For the young in particular, those approaches to life can be dangerous. Adults have to take responsibility for showing children that the effort itself can be worthwhile, she said.