Sometimes You Win, and Sometimes (GASP!) You Lose

Seeing the aftermath of the recent Presidential election in the US has horrified and frightened me. Peaceful protest is welcomed and often leads to change. But what we have seen over the past few days is far from peaceful. Tearing up and burning the American flag, pulling a man out of his car and beating him nearly senseless because you “think” he voted for Trump will not further anyone’s agenda. It only serves to portray the protesters as a mob, out to destroy, not to build. This is not to say that the same thing would not be happening had the election results been different, but we have to deal with the reality as it is today.

We only have ourselves to blame. We have raised a generation of young adults that don’t know how to lose. Sports leagues award trophies to all of the players, so that no one will feel bad.  Some don’t even keep score so everyone feels like a “winner.”  How is there a winner when there is no loser? There are schools that don’t give out grades so that no child will feel less than any other. Self esteem is essential, but we have missed an opportunity to teach our children these important lesson: not everyone can be first, not everyone can win, and not everyone can get what they want all of the time.

Yes, it’s true that we lost the opportunity to have our first woman President, but the time for this will come. Hillary Clinton can still be seen as a role model for our daughters, as a woman who has accepted her defeat with grace. As she said in her speech to her supporters, the loss hurt. It’s OK to hurt. Hurt often leads to growth. Hillary was able to say that she fought the good fight, but lost anyway. She was then able to say that we must come together as a nation and work together. Another woman who can be seen as a role model for a successful woman is Kellyanne Conway, Donald Trump’s Campaign Manager. She is the first woman to manage a winning presidential campaign. Although some will see her only through the lens of Donald Trump, we should look at her as a woman who has breached one glass ceiling.

Let’s stop the violence and start working together to repair what is wrong with our country. There is still so much that is good, but it’s being lost in all of the violence and destruction. For better or worse, Donald Trump is our President. Let’s get behind him for the good of America. This way we can all become winners.