Being the Second!

Disclaimer: This is not a generalization or a viewpoint of any set of people. It is just my personal way of looking at it!

Hi! Thanks for bearing with the disclaimer part, sometimes it is good to make such things clear : )

I have heard quotes like “The winner stands alone” “The loser shall rise” etc. etc. But what about the second best or the second rank holder or the silver medalist? Even though he is just next to the best he is not recognized enough!

Maybe its all about being “the next to best”.
People take interest in extremes, its just a general mentality, not everyone is bothered about the people between those extremes. The extremes stand out from the crowd for obvious reasons, overshadowing both the weaklings and equals. They get the attention and the encouragement to go on. But the second guy in the line just gets congratulated and a bland “better luck next time” look

I do not like being second! You could say it’s a personal prejudice. The prospect of being the second brings in a lot of things which anyone else does not have to endure. First and the foremost is pity, “oh, you missed the first place by such a small margin? What a pity” “Poor you” etc etc.. The meaning conveyed is you are good at it but you seem to have something missing in you compared to the First guy! Who wants pity? Give them encouragement or just shut up and walk away, but pity in the wrong context is very intimidating.

Second point is the feeling of being next to the best. When you know you are capable of being the first and standing at the second place, it is definitely a heartache! For the third position holder, it’s a satisfaction “I made in the top 3 hurray! “, rest of the crown is preparing for the next event. But the second guy is just torn, I don’t belong there in the crowd, It is however a consolation to get the silver, but somehow it just is hard to accept where he is!

And in personal life, being second to someone is a pain! Imagine somebody telling you “Dude you are a great friend, but you are just next to my best friend”, It just isn’t a consolation. Either one keeps you in their priority or you are just another in the crowd, but being next to the best, being the underdog is just a plain bad feeling!

There is very little logic in it all, you need to have been in the second place atleast once to feel it, you cannot make a logical array and in the end tell “hence proved”. It is a matter of experience.

It isn’t a closed article, it’s just a topic for discussion, I’d love to hear the comments and maybe it would expand the article itself!

Ciao!