All the world's a stage? Not anymore
The great William Shakespeare is quoted in "As You Like It,"
Buck up, buttercup because the stakes of this game go beyond rushing yards, field goals, and touchdowns. The American political landscape has become the ultimate sports arena with the whole world sitting in the stands as spectators. Politicians posture themselves like MMA fighters, armed with teams of publicists, spin doctors, and devoted followers who hang on every word as they jockey for better positions in the field. Just like sports driven media, the political driven media latches on to the headliners like vultures in their attempts to drive ratings. ("If you get good ratings, they'll cover you even if you have nothing to say" - Donald Trump) Who needs truth, ethical conduct, or even rules when the only thing that matters is winning or losing.
We see this in kid's sports often enough; coaches and parents shouting at children as they drive them toward victory with no regard about how that victory is achieved. Lie, cheat, steal, and do whatever it takes to win as long as you don't get caught - because winning is all that matters.
Americans appoint a man with little to no ethical standards to the highest office in the United States.
The stakes of the game have gone beyond winning and losing because the points in the coming game will be won or lost with people's lives, their civil liberties, and their livelihood. The stakes of this game may very well decide the future of planet Earth and its habitability in the coming decades. Do we really want a man in charge of the game who couldn't even make money in casino operations, where the "house always comes out on top?" How much can we trust someone with the future of Earth who believes climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese government?
Maybe the old adage, "it's not about whether you win or lose, but how you play the game" means nothing anymore, but I fear we may discover in the coming years that there's more truth to that adage than we ever realized.
If the "true reveal of character is in how we handle it when we lose," then my question goes back to the runup of the "American Political Title Fight" wherein President-Elect Trump who, like many others thought he was going to lose - despite his denials of that fact now, is quoted at a Wisconsin rally saying "Remember, we are competing in a rigged election. They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common." What does this say about character? 'I don't think I'm going to win, so therefore the process is rigged,' and then after he wins, the tone changes. 'Oh, nevermind, it's not rigged, I won. It can't be rigged because I always win.'
"My whole life is about winning. I don't lose often. I almost never lose."-Donald Trump
The games are afoot and the American people, indeed, the world, may be the losers in this game.
Royce Sears
www.roycesears.com
"All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;"
Maybe in Shakespeare's day the world was a stage, but today it has become a sports arena, but only the wealthy and the powerful men and women are players. We live in a world obsessed with winning and losing, as evidenced by the illustrious 'commander-in-chief' set to take office in just a few short days. To quote a recent comment from my social media feed:
"Up until Trump actually won...the entire country, including myself, due mostly to a liberal, ineffective media, thought that Hillary was a "shoo-in." Once this did NOT happen, all levels of crazy ensued! Everyone needs to "buck-up, buttercup" and deal with it. All of us lose! In fact, in life, we all lose way more than we win. The view only changes in "first" place. The rest of us are usually viewing the backside of at least one person! :) Winning is easy. The true reveal of character is in how we handle it when we lose."
We see this in kid's sports often enough; coaches and parents shouting at children as they drive them toward victory with no regard about how that victory is achieved. Lie, cheat, steal, and do whatever it takes to win as long as you don't get caught - because winning is all that matters.
"My whole life is about winning. I don't lose often. I almost never lose."-Donald TrumpThe "American Political Title Fight" has been "won" and the world watches on in horror as
Americans appoint a man with little to no ethical standards to the highest office in the United States.
Maybe the old adage, "it's not about whether you win or lose, but how you play the game" means nothing anymore, but I fear we may discover in the coming years that there's more truth to that adage than we ever realized.
If the "true reveal of character is in how we handle it when we lose," then my question goes back to the runup of the "American Political Title Fight" wherein President-Elect Trump who, like many others thought he was going to lose - despite his denials of that fact now, is quoted at a Wisconsin rally saying "Remember, we are competing in a rigged election. They even want to try and rig the election at the polling booths, where so many cities are corrupt and voter fraud is all too common." What does this say about character? 'I don't think I'm going to win, so therefore the process is rigged,' and then after he wins, the tone changes. 'Oh, nevermind, it's not rigged, I won. It can't be rigged because I always win.'
"My whole life is about winning. I don't lose often. I almost never lose."-Donald Trump
The games are afoot and the American people, indeed, the world, may be the losers in this game.
Royce Sears
www.roycesears.com
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