Through my high school years there was a teacher I had a great disliking for. Of all the teachers I had in that school he was the one I have the most vivid memory of! He was the one that always looked down on me! He was my coach and it seemed to me that his main goal in life was to make a man out of me! I was happy to be the man I already was and I resented someone trying to make me a person I had no desire to be!
As I look back on him today; I can visualize him needing the words WIN (all in caps) tattooed on his forehead! I think he used that word in every sentence I can remember him saying. Those who were not winning (by his standards) were nothing more than trash in his thinking! I was happy with the way my God created me and I didn’t believe it was a necessary for someone like him to try to make any changes in it.
For my disliked coach, there was only one winner. Everyone else was a loser! It made no difference to him if you were improving; if you were not first you were a loser! It seemed to me the man could not understand that God had created some who could run faster or jump higher. Those were the ones he set as goals for the rest of us and if we couldn’t or wouldn’t reach those imaginary goals we were looked down on as lowly losers! Our goals had no meaning for him.
My point of view is; just because you didn’t come in first doesn’t always make you a loser. I believe it was God’s intention to make each of us different. I believe God gave each of us different talents and abilities and if we use those talents and abilities wisely more will come our way. I do not believe it is up to any human to belittle or try to change what God has given us just because they aren’t living up to someone else’s expectations.
Many times, to win, that person has to step on or hurt others. To me no trophy is worth hurting someone else. I’ve met several that have told me that winning was everything. I feel that if winning is their only goal they miss a lot of what life is all about. Do you think they could hold a door open for someone else? Or, do they have to be the first one through?
Winning or failing to win has spoiled many lives! It’s hard to compare one person’s abilities to that of another. Each person’s physical ability and thinking ability was God given when we were born. One of my beliefs is; if you find yourself to be a better person at bedtime that you were when you stepped out of bed in the morning. You’ve won!
If someone always has to win they may miss the joy of hearing one of their kids come running and yelling; “Mommy! Mommy! I just beat Daddy in ---!” And! The look on that child’s face! Yes there are times we win by losing!
There have been many times in my life that I didn’t win. But I don’t feel that I’m a lesser person for those losses!
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