Whose show must go on?

The other day my therapist asked me ldquoso what will happen if you donrsquot work all the time and keep doing well at thingsrdquo I wonder if he laughed or felt bad at the stricken expression the very thought elicited from meBut then Simone Biles asked the world the same question Considered the most talented gymnast in the world at 24 Biles has won the most world medals the most gold medals and executed dazzling gymnastic moves four of which are named after her She has exceeded human limits of skill and social limits of race class and genderPoised to make history at the Tokyo Olympics she faltered then announced she would not compete for the sake of her mental health Unclejis rolled their eyes at this supposed snowflake fragility as if a person of such strength and judgement on the mat did not also have it in other respects In the hackneyed language of indomitability people felt she should have pushed through the troubles because isnrsquot that how it happens in sports movies Some people said lsquowe are raising a generation of weak peoplersquo Letrsquos say it is so Do they pause to ask themselves what kind of society we are that so many people are rendered fragile and precarious Others clucked sympathetically and said they knew she would be back stronger May be she will May be she wonrsquotHaving achieved all she has should Biles have to prove herself constantly to be loved or admired Excellence is a beautiful thing and the stories of those who strive to achieve it are dreamlike for good reasonBut are events like the Olympics truly only about excellence A contest between nations whose administrations push young people in punishing conditions including sexual abuse that Biles has been speaking up about subjecting them to unforgiving pressure and cruel competitiveness When those athletes win countries are quick to claim this greatness to manufacture the drug of patriotismThere is an undercurrent of racism and sexism too in such discussions the sense that a young Black woman should be grateful for her success and must continuously be a standardbearer not only for her country but her community Itrsquos the same for many women also that they are only allowed to matter if they keep excelling But is the responsibility of a communityrsquos or genderrsquos progress only on the shoulders of those who have broken through Is the rest of a society not involved in making sure that community doesnrsquot need symbols but a lived experience of justice and joy We love to praise those who struggle against odds which ought not to be so tough using cliches like ldquoresilient Mumbairdquo and ldquothe show must go onrdquo But whose show is it and why canrsquot those odds changeA system which measures greatness not through joy in its grace and beauty but through incessant ranking pushes all of us the most ordinary and the most triumphant to doubt our worthmdasham I only as good as my last viral tweet my last relationship my last medal As Biles said ldquoI think wersquore just too stressed out We should be out here having fun but thatrsquos not the caserdquo Biles valued herself against the odds of a world beset by the anxiety of achievement and fear of oblivion Sounds pretty indomitable to meParomita Vohra is an awardwinning Mumbaibased filmmaker writer and curator working with fiction and nonfiction Reach her at paromitavohramiddaycom