Winning and losing are a part of life. They are two sides of the same coin. Winning and losing come in cycles; neither is permanent. Today's victor is tomorrow's or yesterday's loser. And today's loser might well be the champion next year or the next. While we are fully aware of this, we continue to crave for victory and live in dread of losing, although we know in our heart of hearts that one is invariably followed, with the passage of time, by the other. The feeling of happiness and joy any victory brings is felt and enjoyed by our ego. 

Our true Self knows neither victory nor loss. The atman is beyond the duality of good and bad, right and wrong, winning and losing. But the human mind and ego exult when it can do something better than the other person or other team. And sometimes it becomes difficult to conclude whether our win or their loss causes greater satisfaction. Just as victory brings extreme emotions, so does defeat. How often we have seen that today's heroes become tomorrow's non- heroes or villains?

Such is the price of celebrity status; such is the price of victory. What about the loser? We owe a great deal to the loser, for without a loser, there cannot be a winner. Swami Vivekananda used to say, 'Let not the giver feel proud, for he can give only when there is someone to receive. Let the giver kneel down and let the receiver stand erect, during the act of giving and receiving. For the giver is blessed to find a receiver.'