Win with grace, lose with dignity.
The common sports adage can be used in many facets of daily life, essentially any time an argument erupts, but this week the phrase lends itself to politics.
Tuesday night was a historic one for the United States as neither candidate was declared the winner in one of the most contentious presidential elections in the history of the United States. There will likely be vote recounting, and possibly legal wrangling, for several weeks.
But in the end, whether it takes a few days, a few weeks, or longer – a winner will be determined.
No matter what side of the political aisle you find yourself on it’s important to realize that winning is a great feeling, and one you may be more than excited to share, but winning is only the first benchmark in a very long process of improving our country. Taking steps in a positive direction is going to require both feet, not just the one wearing the blue shoe or the one in red.
From social justice to tax reform, increasing national debt to the future of healthcare, there is a lot of work to be done in the next four years.
On the flip side, losing in any contest can be tough. But losing does not have to mean failure for whichever party finds itself on the short end of the presidential stick. Nationwide there were plenty of important races on multiple levels won by each party.
So while it may be tempting to gloat about a particular candidate or race that turned out the way you voted, it’s important to remember that one party didn’t win them all and never will.
The key to fixing the country’s problems is being wise enough to look at issues with logic, data and factual information and make decisions in the best interest of our fellow Americans – even the ones who don’t share the same political affiliation.
So whether you feel like a winner after Tuesday, or not, let’s all maintain our grace and our dignity.