Sure, the Olympic Games are about bringing people together in a happy, joyous time and keeping the focus on the positive, not the negative.

However, there are certain moments, as dark as they may be, which need to be remembered. Society should remember the good times, but never forget the bad.

Such is the case of the 1972 Olympics.

Ask anyone what they remember about the Munich games and they're unlikely to automatically recall which country won the most medals or who captured the 100-meter dash title. Instead, they'll go directly to what has been dubbed the Munich massacre.

On Sept. 5, 1972, a group of eight Palestinian terrorists from the Black September organization broke into the Olympic Village and took nine Israeli athletes, coaches and officials hostage. The members of Black September would go on to murder all of the hostages.

Since then security at the Olympics and the world has changed forever.

Now, fast forward 40 years later and the IOC refuses to pay tribute to the tragedy with a moment of silence. There was no 30-year-anniversary and there will be no 50-year anniversary given the Olympic timetables; now is the time to pause in remembrance.

NBC announcer Bob Costas refuses to go along with the IOC's plan and will ask viewers for his own moment of silence. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is calling upon the IOC to commemorate the massacre. Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions asking for it to be recognized, but alas, the IOC will not budge.

Why shed light on a dark subject.

Around the globe every day events are discussed and protested over and over.

Even in line to buy a fried chicken sandwich, you could probably notice an outcry of support for a political topic. Right or wrong, every day social media is abuzz about a Chick-fil-A executive being against gay marriage.

Just last week, the world united when Aurora, Colo. had its own massacre at a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises." People all over memorialized the loss of innocent lives.

It's the society we live in today, one shrunken by TV, the Internet, cell phones and social media, where we have open discussions and come together like never before.

To the IOC members, as the world opens the Games of the XXX Olympiad today, let's embrace discussion and memorials. There has never been a worse time in our civilization to ignore a topic.

To the IOC, embrace your mantra of uniting the world and allow us to come together in memory of those who were senselessly murdered and to remind ourselves that we must always strive to prevent those situations from happening again.