| Strength and Beauty |
Chapter 18 |
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There are considerations which lessen the sting of defeat, when a man has really done his best and then has to permit another to bear away the honor which he sought to win. There are many contestants and only one can be successful. From the beginning it is known that all but one of those striving so earnestly must be disappointed. It is no harder for one to be defeated than it would be for another. A generous man rejoices in another’s honoring. There is a Scripture teaching which bids us prefer one another in honor – that is, be more than willing to have the other bear the honor instead of ourself.
It is by no means an easy lesson to learn, to rejoice in another’s advancement when it means that we must accept the lower place. Yet when it has been learned it brings sweet joy into the heart. The meek shall inherit the earth, said our Lord. Meekness does not lessen the earnestness of the contestant. He does his best. He puts his whole soul into the struggle, determined to win if it is in his power. He concedes the same right, however, to his fellow competitors. If, then, one of them surpasses him, why should he indulge in bitter thoughts or feelings? If he had been victorious, he would have expected his companions to concede the honor to him cheerfully and to rejoice in his victory. Now that another has won the prize, why should he not be magnanimous and be glad in his comrade’s honor? The Golden Rule applies here.
“He lost the game: no matter for that–
He kept his temper and swung his hat
To cheer the winner. A better way
Than to lose his temper and win the day.”
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