___

___

Political sportsmanship may sound like an oxymoron to you. It need not be. We should be able to accept the outcome of an election, and be a good winner or a good loser, no matter what the results are.

As kids, we were taught how to be a good sport. Don’t sulk if you lose because a sore loser loses twice. Don’t gloat if you win because the one thing worse than a bad loser is a bad winner.

As adults, we sometimes forget about this, and not just when it comes to elections. Maybe we propose an idea, but our group doesn’t go with it. We need to accept the outcome and be a good sport. 

Rituals of sportsmanship

In sports, the two teams usually shake hands after a game and talking with each other. For instance, after a football game, you’ll often see the opposing quarterbacks chatting. They have a common bond because of their position; they face similar challenges. It’s only natural that they would find things to talk about.

Whatever you may think of politicians, they are often very graceful in defeat. We hear their concession speeches and they often go above and beyond in congratulating their opponent on his or her victory. It sends an important message to their followers that it’s time to put the election behind and move forward united.

Burying the hatchet

There’s a tradition practiced in Sussex County, Delaware called Return Day. It started in 1792. People came to Georgetown, the county seat, to cast their vote on election Tuesday. The results were tabulated over the next two days. On Thursday, the people would return to Georgetown (hence the name Return Day) to find out who won. The competing politicians were there as well, and they buried a symbolic hatchet in the sand showing the race was over and it was time to move on together.

Isn’t that a fantastic idea? The leaders, with their followers, come together to put the past behind and move forward together for a better future. 

Celebrate the process

So let’s celebrate the process. We’re very lucky to live in a country where we can express our opinion every two years. We can remain engaged and contact our elect representatives, even if we didn’t happen to vote for him or her. You get a say in your government!

___

___

There’s an expense that many companies are cutting back on. Next time, we’ll discuss why we think it’s a BIGG mistake. Until then, here’s to your bigg success!

Subscribe to The Bigg Success Show in iTunes. 

Subscribe to the Bigg Success feed.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file:
http://media.libsyn.com/media/biggsuccess/00258-110508.mp3

Related posts

We the People are Taking Back Our Country

(Image by jcolman,CC 2.0)