The True Victory

THE TRUE VICTORY

Guilherme Fauque

When we begin to compete, it’s common the wish of win to be big. Dedicate ourselves, trained a lot and filled ourselves with expectations. We wish win. We want to be the best, unbeaten. This is that we end up forgotten the worth of a true victory and the importance of both to learn and absorb a defeat, so this one became a source of self-knowledge and learning.

True victory? Self-knowledge? This seem quite slobbery, is not it? Well, real victory is defeating the other; go up on the podium, to win trophy and medal! At last, adjusting Darwin theory to popular thought, “else who can cry less”… is not it?

Unfortunately, this is the common though between great part of competitors and with this, more perennial values, as the ethic, are set aside.

Consider an illustrative example:

In the event of mixed martial arts, UFC 112, there were a fight between Anderson Silva and Demian Maia, two great champions. In the heat of fight, under the total predominance of Anderson Silva, he made gestures, offended and disrespected his adversary. At the end, win but don’t get away like a true champion. He was execrated by both the public and media, needing a lot of explanations and a next fight to reverse his image, now ethically scratched. Demian Main on the other hand, lost the fight but get away as a true champion must his correctly ethical and warrior posture, given his best and don’t losing his balance before the offenses of his adversary.

In the next fight of Anderson Silva, in the UFC 117, he faces Chael Sonnen. At this moment the situation is the contrary and Anderson Silva gets beaten a lot. He was with the fight almost lost when, in a twist like Rock Balboa, Anderson Silva beat Sonnen by submission and, this turn, he get away as a hero, a truly champion.

Two victories with a quite different meaning. What did make the difference? Both fights Anderson Silva was the winner. However, before the public eyes the conception of winner and loser went beyond the victory on the fight.

Observing the example above is clear to us that it is not enough to win the fight. It is needed to have attitude of winner, even in defeat. This is the strong logic imprinted in our heart, although overwhelmed by the pressures of a world widely competitive, which manifest itself strongly between the attitudes that, notedly, are not of a virtuosity waited by a true champion.

We know that is normal of the game eliminate the opponent in order to come to the end. So, it sure that in a championship we will seek a manner to defeat our opponents to come to the end of competition. After all, this is the initial aim. However, between the various tactics, a little of maliciousness and until provocations is naturals to the spectacle. After all, there are some ethical and moral standards which extrapolate the narrow value of win or lost a fight.

Then, it is evidently that win a fight implicates more than just defeat an opponent. It is fundamental that, before all, we defeat our own limitations, fears and insecurities. How say the ancient Chinese proverb, “it is easier win an army with one thousand of men of than win ourselves”. Furthermore, this is not restricting to sportive competition, but to at all moments of our lives. We live in a world widely competitive where, at all moments, we are being challenged. We dispute a good collocation on the market of work, a promotion, a better salary, between other things, and at the same way a virtuous posture, uprightly, of a true winner, make the difference. Finally, to win begets virtuous values that will determinate the true champion.

Moreover, when defeat comes, we should be borne in mind that it’s nothing more than a further step on toward self-knowledge. Where did we fail? As we improve? And, mainly, we must be aware if we gave our best, because, how we already talked, here is the true opponent: our limitations. Sure always will be anyone stronger, in a better moment or more qualify. After all, nobody is unbeatable. However, if we give our best, we are already winners, be in the rings, mats, octagon or, mainly, in the stage of life!