There were very divisive political elections in France a month ago. French people were full of anger and resentment. The fear of a worst-case scenario pushed almost 70% of citizens to vote, not allowing the extreme right party of Marine Le Pen to rule the country, showing how even our very fragile democracies can still win over darkness.
A month later, with the Olympic Games the air we breathe is completely different. No more anger or resentment. No more fear of darkness, similar to what European countries experienced in the past. Less than four weeks were enough to find a good and joyful reason to be French, and people are now proud to honor the engagement, the hard work and commitment, the team spirit, and the great achievements of their athletes.
From the bitter feelings of mistrust in politics, of the French People, to the collective emotions of joy (as well as pain and disappointment in some cases) projected on the athletes, uniting with collective solidarity and trust, in what they represent. Paris, with la Seine, is totally transformed. its historical beauty and culture became a lively safe womb for sports competitions, athletes, and people from all over the world.
A sense of enthusiastic WE, is once more discovered and brought to life, compared to the isolation of conflicting individual EGOS with the loss of social confidence in the French State and respect for the political community. Not only a sense of WE against the other. Not only a sense of WE because of war against the OTHER, with its devastating horrors. A true sense of belonging to a similar river of life (although the river Seine was the Star of the opening ceremony, its waters are troubled and polluted for the pour athletes…).
What impresses me, is the natural, and yet sophisticated team spirit of certain sports compared to the difficulties in other fields and the terrible polarization of points of view in almost all other domains. In particular, and from a psychological point of view, I would like to share some thoughts about volleyball.
As I was returning from holidays I happened to see a match between two teams of women. I know very little about the rules of the sport but some basics are clear. The team can win or lose. It is a small team of 6 people in a close relationship with each other. They play with both their hands and a ball. Replacements and several positions are possible for each player. The court (container) of the game is simple and clear and, is divided into two parts by a net. Only by playing together, and always paying attention to each other, a team can succeed.
There is respect for the rival team and even if we need to do our best to win, the OTHER is like us, and not an enemy whose existence we need to erase. There is trust between the players and their coach and only if each person expresses the best human and sports qualities, and only working and learning with HUMILITY from the limits of the entire team, winning or losing become meaningful.
Now that the Italian Women’s team just won the gold medal, we all rejoice full of emotions and floods of tears, as Italians (including myself). Now that the Olympic Games come to an end, it is time to reflect on what are the ingredients for a new respectful and trustful way to be and play together, also in other communities far from SPORTS, where the sense of WE is dramatically missing.
Can we all learn something from volleyball? Can we transform a sport into a valuable metaphor for our social, cultural, and political community life?
Can we re-imagine and work on new ways of being together? Can we try to build new small group containers, with clear rules, with well-prepared facilitators, where we can hold opposites without too much fear of being destroyed by the OTHER, or need to destroy the other? Are we able to create protected spaces, with clear rules, where we can hold vulnerabilities and shadows and allow the expression of deeper, and creative human qualities, by giving ourselves a specific working scope?
As in my lecture and seminar at the CG Jung Institute in Kusnacht in June, the challenge for the coming months is, not only reinforcing the offer of Group Therapy as psychoanalysts but also providing new opportunities for small safe WORKING group containers, where the GROUP can be THE THERAPY.
MORE TO COME IN THE COMING WEEKS.
