208. The justification, even revisionism, of defeat

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 This post is written in the aftermath of Wales’ rugby team’s comprehensive defeat by France at a November test match. The mechanisms to cope with disappointment our brain employs are fascinating. Victory needs no analysis, just an elated ‘We were great’, and unfettered wallowing in the rerunning of events, over an over, for a further endorphin kick. But defeat… Defeat ferries us on the turbulent waters of the Stages of Bereavement, which I have written about previously. To arrive at the last stop, Acceptance, and after the initial, unabated Grief, we must control our Anger and analyse, dissect, in search of a justification which makes the disappointment bearable. Victory turns sport into joy, whilst defeat turns it into analytical endeavour. Where victory brings leisure, defeat brings hard labour. Does regular defeat form character in a way that victory does not? This is so far an unchallenged, fresh thought, but should employers be asking, without fail, what team do you support? 

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Location: Hereford, UK

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