AS I watch Trump, disgusted with the way he is not accepting his defeat, I remember watching the Oscars two years ago, and had seen how the host announced the wrong winner of the Best Picture Award: Instead of announcing the prize for ‘Moonlight’ he announced, ‘La La Land’.
Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway then presented the award to the producers of the wrong movie. They started delivering the acceptance speech, when the hosts ran up and announced to the startled audience that the wrong winner had been announced and the award should go to ‘Moonlight!’
But what was so beautiful, was how the producers of La La Land, “gracefully” handed over their trophies to the winning team! The word is ‘graceful’! Can you imagine how they must have felt? One moment victory, the next moment, defeat! One moment absolute joy, the next deep disappointment! But it’s during this moment of defeat the world looks to see how you take it: In fact, more eyes are focused on you the loser, than you the winner, and when you are graceful in defeat, you are a winner in the eyes of the world.
I remember a time, twenty- five years ago to be precise, when I behaved like Trump. I had stood for the post of area chairman of an international organization. There was a tie, and the outgoing chairman threw his casting vote in favour of the other candidate. I was furious, disappointed and bitter, and till date it is that behavior of mine my friends remember, and the same will be remembered of Trump.
Losing is the time you are most vulnerable. That’s the time, you have been hit on the head and you want to hit back like a wounded animal, which is what Trump is doing. But when you don’t, when you get up from the depths of despair and shake hands with your opponent, that memory will remain in the minds of everybody forever.
I learned a lesson, and many years later, standing for another post, I realized I’d lost again, and shook my opponent’s hand and patted him on the back. Five years later there was another election, against the same opponent, and the same people who had voted me out voted me in with a thumping majority of nearly ninety percent of the vote!
Donny boy, If, you want to show your face in 2024, then move out gracefully. It’s still not too late to be good to Biden and Kamala, and be remembered for losing gracefully, albeit a little late! But if you don’t, you will be remembered always not as a billionaire winner, but as a loser whiner..!
