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Barely a week goes by that we don’t hear these familiar words: “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.”
Whether this famous quotation is from the legendary football coach Vince Lombardi or the sports writer Henry “Red” Sanders, it has become a national mantra, not only on the playing fields but also in politics, business, education, and even religion.
However, when being number one is our sole priority, winning can become a harmful and dangerous obsession. Such a goal implies that any outcome other than domination is a failure of sorts and unworthy of praise. It leads us to judge each other and ourselves by unrealistic, external standards. Our relationships often become more competitive than cooperative, making community sometimes almost impossible to achieve.
When “winning is the only thing” it becomes more likely that corners will be cut, truth will be trampled, people will be used as pawns, absurd amounts of money will be spent to crush the opposition, and whatever means necessary to ensure victory will be justified. Such behavior increases the possibility that, like the aged fisherman in Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea,” our big catch will be reduced to a skeleton by the sharks before we can get it home.
Even Jesus struggled with our temptation to make winning “the only thing.” In the wilderness, at the beginning of his ministry, Satan offered him the kingdoms of the world if he would bow down and worship him. But Jesus countered with his own priority: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” And three years later when even his closest followers were wavering in the darkness of Gethsemane, his resolve was still the same, “Not my will but Yours be done.”
The danger of making winning the only thing that matters in our lives is illustrated by one of my favorite stories: One morning on the Mississippi River south of Vicksburg, two river boats bound for New Orleans found themselves side by side and began to race. Each captain was determined to win and ordered “full speed ahead.” Late in the afternoon one of the captains was notified by his engineer that they were running short on wood to fire the boilers. Their cargo happened to be bacon so the captain ordered him to use the meat as fuel. Because the bacon made for a hotter fire than the wood, they won the race. But in the process they burned up their cargo.
Lord, in our quest to win the race, help us not to burn up our bacon. Amen.
John Paul Carter’s “Notes from the Journey” appear in the Democrat on the second and fourth Fridays of each month. Carter is an ordained minister who attends Central Christian Church.
Viewpoints
COLUMN: Burning up the bacon
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CNHI EDITORIAL: Seizure of AP phone records an insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
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NOW HEAR THIS: ‘What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate’
This famous quote addressing communication failure is a classic line from the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke,” starring Paul Newman. Strother Martin, who played the role of the warden in a southern prison, would use this phrase every time he gave Luke a good whack with his baton. The concept resonated so well with moviegoers that it was voted No. 11 of the 100 all-time favorite movie quotes according to the American Film Institute.
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Letters to the Editor – May 19, 2013
Do you remember the “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED” sign that the personnel on the USS Abraham Lincoln displayed to greet President Bush when he went out to greet them?
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Guest opinion: Campaign with honor
All politics is local and personal! I hope that you and your family have a wonderful summer, filled with relationship building experiences and times of relaxation. As you do all the things that re-charge us for the next round at work and involvement in community and political activities, let’s reflect on the 2013 local elections for a moment.
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TISCIONE: Woe for calling evil good
You don’t often see “woe” used in an article. It’s a word that has fallen out of usage in our day. But it’s a word that ought to be understood and taken seriously.
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Letters to the Editor – May 17, 2013
As mercury pollution threatens our waterways and carbon pollution-fueled climate change worsens extreme weather, we need someone in Washington who knows how to get things done.
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Letters to the Editor – May 15, 2013
I just wanted to express my heartfelt thanks to the slobs, idiots and inconsiderate people who continually decorate the beautiful Texas landscape with their trash. I guess it’s really a form of art with beer bottles and cans, boxes, plastic drink containers, food packaging and just about anything else you can think of. It just doesn’t appeal to me. Thank you.
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NOW HEAR THIS: Not by the hairs of my chinny chin chin
I had never really considered this possibility, but every one of the Three Little Pigs was almost certainly a guy. I know that assumption is not particularly popular from an equal opportunity standpoint, but the fact is fairly certain. How do I know? They all three had hair on their chinny chin chins.
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ESTES: Securing a bright future for Texas
Texas businesses have created more than 500,000 jobs since November 2011. Our economy is growing nearly 50 percent faster than the rest of the country and our cost of living remains low.
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TISCIONE: ‘It’s not about me’
“It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night.”
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