I had an interesting conversation with a 7-year-old, a cousin of mine. He woke up from his afternoon nap scared. When I asked him what happened, instead of answering me, he asked me if it was evening already. I said yes, and he started running back to his room, muttering that he had missed his cricket practice. I calmed him down and told him he still had an hour to get there.
I inquired about his frantic behavior. He said he had matches going on, and the best players would get trophies and medals. He wanted to play, win, and get them.
I inquired what would occur if he had missed, to which he responded that he would have felt regret for missing out on the opportunity to participate and potentially win. When I asked about the possibility of losing the game, he indicated that both his team and he would experience a loss. Upon further questioning about his reaction in that scenario, he mentioned that he would applaud the victorious team.
When we are younger, winning and losing only matter until the moment we are competing. We don't contemplate our wins or losses. But as we get older, it seems that losing is not even an option anymore, and if we do lose, we make it a big deal and try to determine what caused it. We don't simply accept that it was a fair competition and that there can only be one winner.
I often beat myself up for losing, and I never dare to go to my opponent and congratulate them. Even if I do, it is only for formality, and most of the time I don't even mean it. I am reflecting right now, and I see that wasn't the case with me in my childhood.
And this makes me wonder if humans are wiser in their childhood than when they are adults. Is this the right path we are going down? Will this kid in the future turn out the same way as everyone else? Will he stop clapping for his opponent's wins? I know that writing about it doesn't make a great difference, and I am not even sure how long this thought will stay with me in the future.
It's just surprising how a simple conversation with a 7-year-old can make a 21-year-old introspect. It made me understand that it is more important to accept the losses in life and move ahead than winning.
Comments