Originally Posted on the Common Threads Blog
Centre Daily Times, May 20, 2008
Last week, I was at my fourth grade daughter’s first intramural track meet.
As the children competed in running, relay, long jump, and wheelbarrow races, the audience of moms, dads, sisters, brothers, grandparents and teachers wildly cheered them on.
We cheered the winners, those in between, and those who came in last.
Our cheers hopefully taught them to stay in their races and do their best, and to never quit on themselves, no matter what race they were in, and no matter how good or bad they were at it.
We hope that they will remember this lesson, in other projects they are involved with, in future years, and well into their adult lives.
If any of them run for political office, in the future, I hope the lessons from their track meet would tell them to stay in the race and never give up on themselves.
And if any of us are watching those political races, I hope that we would emulate the cheering hordes at these elementary intramurals and encourage those now grown up kids to do their very best.
And cheer them on for staying in and fighting the good fight, and for not giving up.
I think we can be assured of this future scenario, because most Americans feel this way even today.
A Gallup Poll released on May 6, 2008 indicates that 60% of Democrats think that both candidates for their party’s nomination should stay in the race, and that neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama should quit the race midway.
And a Pew Research Poll found that 73% of Americans do not want the media to be declaring Barack Obama the winner of the race for the Democratic nomination, at this stage in the race.
Looks like we Americans like to have our contestants compete all the way through, and to declare the winner only at the end of the race.
We Americans are also not in favor of anyone calling on someone to give up.
Perhaps, we as a nation - voters, politicians, pundits and journalists are all at our best, when we emulate the cheering parents in the elementary intramural track stands.
Parents who cheer on everyone’s best efforts, and remind their kids that enjoying their day in the sun, learning to run with the wind in their face, and doing their very best is far more important than winning.
That staying in their respective races and giving it their best is the honorable way all over the world, compared to quitting or giving up.
And the cheering parents also teach us that no spectator should ever do the dishonorable thing of asking anyone to quit a race.
Comments : Finishing the race
Submitted by Eye on Eisenhow... on Tue, 2008-05-20 10:59.
What an apt and intelligent perspective.
Thanks for sharing.
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