Defeat
We had high hopes. This was supposed to be the year, but it was not to be. There are two high schools in my town. You can imagine the rivalry is large. This is especially true for the sport of football. Our cross town rival has defeated us eight years in a row, but we went into tonight’s game with confidence the curse was going to end! Alas, the number is now nine. Defeated again.
How can they continue year after year like this? Yet they do. Every fall, the students and coaches from our high school return with new hopes, only to have them shattered the first game of the season. We feel sad for them, but we know they’ll get over it and move on. We remind ourselves that it is just a game, and life continues. Nobody will remember ten years from now what happened tonight. Okay, somebody probably will, but not most of us. In the end, it is a defeat that doesn’t do too much damage to our lives.
But then I think about those whose everyday defeat is not a game–it’s their lives. I think of the special education students who simply can’t seem to get it right no matter how hard they try. I think about those with mental illness who can’t focus or control their emotions and continue to alienate others unintentionally. Day after day they fail–not just nine times, but a lifetime of failure. How in the world can any of these people overcome this constant barrage of defeat, to live normal lives? The truth is, few do. They eventually believe that failure is the norm. That is the ultimate defeat.
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