No More Horsing Around

Dateline Boston — Sports are not my thing. But I read the headlines. I remember when the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, ending an 86-year drought. I’m aware of the “Deflategate” of the New England Patriots. And I know Pharoah just won the horse racing Triple Crown, the first Triple Crown in 37 years.

It seemed like an exciting event. Pharoah won three races in a row! He was a powerhorse! He was strong! He was fast! I watched a piece on Pharoah that talked about what an accomplishment it was to win the Triple Crown, and how proud the owners and jockey were. It was a big deal to have a win, something that hadn’t happened since the 1970s. The last moment of the piece stated that yes, Pharoah was fast. But he wasn’t as fast as Secretariat, the fastest Triple Crown winner.

Watching the news piece, I felt like a pin just popped Pharoah’s balloon. Everything said about Pharoah was gone, because the last sentence heard was about Secretariat. Why do we do this? Why isn’t it enough that a horse just won three races in a row? Why do we one-up each other?

I have a hard time with competition. Our country thrives on it. We teach children at an early age they need to be the best at whatever they do. Since America promotes individuality,  sometimes we focus on making the best of ourselves. “Be the best you that you can be.” This attitude does not promote working together or looking out for others because all we’re thinking about is ourselves. I have a problem with that.

I lived in Japan for almost a year. There, the focus is on the group, the community, promoting harmony for all. It’s not about one person. Japan’s society swings the other way from ours. People follow trends just because everyone is doing it. I didn’t see much individual thought, especially in schools where I taught English. If I asked a student what his/her opinion was about something, he or she would give me a blank stare. Competition was there, with sports events, but it felt friendlier than our events. One expression one hears a lot in Japan is “Ganbatte!” which means, “Do your best.” No one got angry when someone lost. Everyone tried his/her best, and all had a great time.

I would like to see a blend of both attitudes. Try your best. If you win, great! Let that be the end of it. Don’t compare kids or teams or countries or horses to each other. If you lose, try your best again next time. Don’t cheat. Play fair. Cheer each other on, and congratulate the team or person (or horse) that won. End of story.

Now, who wants to join me in a rousing game of Backgammon?

Ms. Vaillancourt may be contacted at snobbyblog@gmail.com