Winning

A familiar contemporary saying is 'Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing.' This maxim has been challenged from a variety of different directions, usually suggesting some value to be found in losing, occasionally pointing out some disadvantage to triumphing. The very act of competing is often cited as worthwhile--playing is enjoyable regardless of outcome, as is the opportunity to socialize, even with an opponent, not to mention when every participant is well-compensated. Losing, specifically, can be an occasion for learning, whereas winning can breed complacency. Also, while a 'moral victory' is a win withing a loss, a 'Pyrrhic victory' is a loss within a win. Still, none of these seem to effectively override the unalloyed satisfaction to be gotten from winning, which is a successful outcome to a course of action that likely entailed hard preparation, and overcame the resistance of the opposition. But that winning is neither everything, nor the only thing, is posed from another level of achievement. Most players and commentators seem to agree that the highest accolade that can be attributed to a competitor is not 'Winner', but 'Artist'. The quality of victory is a function of the quality of the competition, as the phrase 'winning ugly' implies, as well as of the degree of luck involved: a matter of inches in the placement of a ball, a sudden gust of wind, an unfortunate injury, etc. But artistry in winning entails the fullest mastery of all the elements involved, manifest in the grace, precision, and coherence of the performance. Competitive artistry may not be everything, or the only thing, but it is the best thing, better than mere winning.