Some of the earliest lessons that parents try to teach children are to share and to be good losers.

Yes, there was once a day when people actually had the decency and the honor to admit when they were wrong, when they were stingy, when they hadn’t been fair and when they had lost. “You can’t win every time” is a common phrase used when little ones lose at Chutes and Ladders or Go Fish. Later in life, the referee will raise the hand of only one wrestler or boxer, and the other will need to deal with the fact that, despite his best effort, his opponent earned the victory this day.

In a court of law, a judge or jury get to decide verdicts that you may not like or agree with but still stand. Just as important as being a good loser can be being a good or gracious winner. No gloating, no taunting, no unfairly holding your victory over the other person as if you were a gladiator and earned the right to sever his head from his body.

There have been a lot of sore losers this past year. There have been some gracious winners but also some poor winners. Local races, including the race for a judicial position and a state representative seat, were strongly contested last spring. There were even some less than admirable antics performed by candidates.

But most were adult following the election and congratulated the victor. Some commented that they had learned from the experience of campaigning and from experiencing a setback this time.

Often the best lessons are the hardest ones. Some candidates who were not successful in 2020 failed to accept the decisions of the voters, and instead of showing class and preparing for another opportunity, acted as 2-year-olds that haven’t gotten the clear message from Mom and Dad that life isn’t always fair but they need to be good citizens and respectful candidates if they want a better result next time.

Voters are funny like that. They remember poor sports and spoiled losers. The race for president was something out of a nightmare. Nothing was beyond the possibility for either candidate or party to do or to say. It is pitiful that our election could come down to this.

As we write this on Monday afternoon, we are worried about the possibility of violence this week at protests in Washington, D.C.

It is wonderful that supporters on either side feel strongly enough to want their voices heard and would travel to the nation’s capital to be seen and heard. It will not be wonderful if this trend toward not respecting the outcome of elections continues. Mike Kelly, U.S. Congressman from Butler, has stood front and center in many of the challenges to the presidential election.

We doubt that he believes there is any chance that the result as it has been declared will change. But by his carrying the concerns forward, he may create change for future elections and make some headway toward getting rid of questions in those future elections as to whether everything was legal and fair. He has also conducted himself like a gentleman and like we should expect someone who is representing the rest of us to behave. The people casting judgements on him are doing so 100% down party lines. Imagine that? You may vote blue instead of red, but you should be glad he acted with integrity and peaceful manners.

We are hoping that those second-place or worse finishers from our local elections will take a look in the mirror and remember some of the childhood lessons they were offered. Just because you lost doesn’t mean the world was against you. The other candidates had some good qualities, too. The famous Notre Dame football coach, Lou Holtz, once said when asked how his team had lost a game, “you know that other team gives scholarships, too.” When you run for election, the other candidate’s also expecting to win, and they have some talents to offer also. You aren’t 2 years old anymore, and wearing a grudge doesn’t look good on anyone. Keep that in mind if you ever hope to win the community’s vote.

And, please, wear your mask.

— RV