We are always taught winning is better than losing, that makes sense because who really likes losing. But over the past week, my views of winning and losing have changed. Some losses are more honorable than some wins. Follow me as we dive into what these losses look like and what makes some loss better than wins!
Currently, I am reading The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates. Coates is a phenomenal author, and my analysis on his writing and this book would be in my book reviews. Naturally, when reading works of prominent authors, I find myself watching some videos and/ or interviews about them. To get an understanding of who they are. With Coates, someone I was already familiar with, I decided to watch some of his political commentary. I ran into a podcast titled:Ta-Nehisi Coates: Obama's Legacy in a Trump World — The Bulwark Podcast, where Coates states, "There are some things worth losing for, and there are some things that people will remember you differently when you lose for them.”(24:12). The situation in question was Coates speaking on the Palestinian Genocide. Coates, someone who went to Palestine and wrote about his experiences, believed politicians should have had a stronger position on the topic, even if it costed them campaigns.
This quote stood with me throughout the week, as I thought to myself, does this apply to me? Do I have something I am willing to lose for? Something that is far greater than me, that if I was on the cusp of greatness, of history, that I would put it all in jeopardy? All those that came before us, creating history, risked something for it. Muhammad Ali risked his career, MLK risked and lost his life, the same with Malcolm X, the same with Fred Hampton, the list goes on and on. Would it be fair to compare modern-day politicians to the freedom fighters in the past, if they aren’t willing to risk their victories, their careers, their lives to push the needle forward? All those I mentioned earlier, the needle was moved forward, their risks created progress, and without them, the world we are living in could have been very different. So, when a genocide, in which over 70,000 have been found dead, with another 10,000-20,000 underneath the rubble, over 1.9 million people displaced, this genocide, can’t push you to risk something, what value would you winning even have?
I believe it is best when people have things they put on the line. A set of values that always stick with them, through thick or thin, and no matter the adversity, those values would be by their side. This can happen in multiple ways, by establishing floor goals, a set of values one always keeps, listing down ethics and morals one wants to live by, but most importantly, when one is faced with challenges that may violate those morals, compare, would it be worth it to lose my morals for this success?
The same values we are willing to risk and the ones that keep us alive. They give us reasoning and a mission to keep going. Ta-Nehisi Coates’s work is pushed by morals in which his opinion remains despite the backlash he receives, publishing deals he loses, and relationships he risks. He represents the message “some things worth losing for”. So I ask again, what are some things you would lose for?