The British propensity for non-deference militates against special treatment to anyone, unless of course you're the official underdog. "The last shall be first" is a biblical theme which could just as easily have been written by a British attitudes and motivation committee. We really can't cope when it turns out that "the first shall be first."I suppose a healthy society wrestles with the tensions between hero worship and indifference. We take them seriously enough to pay small fortunes to see our heroes perform. And we take ourselves serious enough to make sure they remain accountable. It's like the biblical idea of the priesthood of all believers adapted for our social idiom. We're always OK with a few high priests as long as all of us are allowed to be priests. Honouring authority, respecting and praying for powerful leaders with the power of life and death was integral to a biblical response to the privileged. But so also was self-effacing humility. If you're attending a special event, said the apostle James, don't stroll up to the top table. Wait until you're invited. I live within a stone's throw from the Olympic site so I'll have to spend some effort in avoiding a fine. But even so I hope I can watch Usain Bolt being driven past me in the Olympic Lane and still cheer him on when he reaches the track.