Win-Win Situation.(Editorial)

Byline: EDITOR: ALEXANDRA KOTUR

Competition brings out the best in us. That, says William Norwich, also applies to our behavior whatever the outcome.

Come Election Day the country will break down into two basic camps, winners and losers. Here is an opportune time to discuss how we graciously and courteously comport ourselves in the face of either victory or defeat. In order to win, you must also learn how to lose. "Lose something every day," the poet Elizabeth Bishop wrote.

If your candidate wins the election, your child is accepted to Collegiate or Spence, you triumph at your club's tennis tournament or snag the Lucien Freud at auction, be modest. The binge backslapping and bragging we see too often when undisciplined politicians, athletes, and celebrities overindulge in vainglory is unattractive.

Winners should be brief. Speak softly. Say thank you. Avoid overdoing the humble bit, which conveys discomfort and disingenuousness much more than it does sincerity. If your candidate loses, you do not get that promotion, the tennis match goes south, your souffle flops, or the beau breaks it off, how you proceed publicly even more than privately will determine how you heal. Do not lose your temper. Enter competition for the pleasure of playing. Compete ...