Winning vs. Losing

We all have felt the high of a win and the low of a loss. No one enjoys losing, and once in a while people take thrill in snubbing the loser. In today's world, winning and losing have become all that governs competition. But why? Why do the titles of 'winner' and 'loser' seem to hold so much importance? Why is it that numbers mean more than effort, and rankings more than self-mastery?

If you watch the news, you've probably seen post-game interviews with local sports coaches and players. You then will have also seen the underlying question to the whole interview which is based on the scoreboard. Depending on that, the players and coaches respond to the question, "Why did you win?" or "Why did you lose?" Answers vary from "We made complete passes," or "we turned the ball over." "This player was sick," or "the ref was unfair." In the months leading up to championships, teams are ranked and people memorize standings. You always hear, "Who won? Who lost? Who plays who?" The media never reports how the players felt after the game. One player could have their best game and the team could lose by one point, and no one cares but that they lost. The individual success in an event is eaten up by the lust to win.

If a team works their hardest, does their best, and gives it everything they've got to give and they still lose, there is a lot of pressure to feel upset and dejected. The cries of the winner and the supporting fans and the 'shame' of defeat arouse poignant feelings such as the lie that whispers, "You failure". The fear of those feelings is part of the motivation to win, and part of the consequence of losing. Victory only lasts until the scoreboard is shut off, success lasts all the way until the next competition. Winners get caught up in the moment, and losers are made to look in the past. "Yes, we won!" "What did we do wrong?" "That was the coolest game ever!" "Stupid refs..." These people are infatuated with facts and figures because they don't look to the future. That is why winning and losing is so important to them, because they live only in the now.

Although one player may have made the conscious decision to give it their all, they have no power to make that conscious decision for another. This is especially seen in our marching band, where one person can march the best show they have ever done, and another miss everything. After every competition, at least one person says, "It couldn't have been better," and at least one says "It couldn't have been worse." When the scores came back and we discovered we got 4th place, the ones who did well felt disgusted as their high of success came crashing down with the low score. The ones who did poorly felt as if they should be responsible for shouldering the loss. Everyone, including the director was unanimous in feeling that the judging was unfair. But why is it such a big deal? Because of the here and now in the numbers, the pressure, and the disappointment. If everyone forgot about that aspect and concentrated on the personal success, they'd look towards improvement long before the emotional roller coaster arrived at the station.