Thursday, May 01, 2008 Calinao: Winners at a losing game By Nick Prill Calinao Free and Easy
THE more I play and listen to country music, the more I tend to appreciate literal and implied messages from various songwriters and artists.
Last week, a former number single on the billboard country charts "tickled my thoughts." A song by the Rascal Flatts, "Winner at a Losing Game" topped the charts a few months ago.
Naturally, it's a country song about love, relationships, romantic affairs, quarrels between lovers, as well as getting over "break-ups" and the sort. It implies the effects of false pride, stubbornness, pretentious toughness, and intentional disregard for certain factors.
The song definitely relates to common dialogues or arguments between lovers. Infamous lines that sound like: "ay basta yan ang gusto ko, kung ayaw mo 'di huwag mo"; "hiwalay kung hiwalay"; "if that's the case ... then you go your way and I'll go mine"; "bakit, ikaw lang ba ang puwedeng mahalin sa mundong ito?"; "Ta rupamm, sorry-sorry ka pay dita ... pumanaw ka ketdi!!!"; and "and that's final!!!"
As a result of both false and "fools' pride" topped with the lack of complete considerations, lovers are forced to go separate ways or unwillingly accept living with each other. They try to find ways to heal their broken hearts. Yes, they definitely try so hard to move on. One way or another, however, they end-up as "winners at a losing game."
Winners-because they have "self-convincingly" moved on; a losing game-simply because memories of both sweet and bitter moments shared will always be there to "tickle and pester" the emotions. Memories which would always trigger the "what ifs?"
"What if I wasn't such an asshole and accepted my fault from the very start?", "What if I was more considerate?", "What if I wasn't so 'hot-headed'?", "What if we first considered all other options to resolve the matter?"
Yes, endless "what ifs" would always be reminders of "winning a losing game." A game characterized by a "win-loss" situation.
In the local scene, similar situations have actually come about. One of these is the current traffic-rerouting scheme.
Though partially successful, the scheme at its present implementation may not be considered as "fool-proof" due to the lack of prior consideration for all factors involved. Factors such as: lack of control on the indiscriminate use and conversion of public/barangay roads into private parking slots even during daytime; the supposed lack of sufficient consultation with all parties concerned; the unsuccessful implementation of the "pick and go" policy for express-route jeepneys; the utilization of narrow barangay streets as main alternate traffic routes; "engine-emission spiced" food and commodities at a satellite market; the tolerance for certain "diverting" instead of "re-routing" practices by some PUJs; the seemingly excessive number of PUVs simultaneously plying CBD routes; as well as the clogging of smaller streets, and "tight" turning points in the vicinity (i.e. the North Drive-Leonard Wood area). All these and other factors may actually be translated to "what ifs" related to the traffic concern.
Hence a "win-loss" situation.
Now if all the factors will be acted upon, then perhaps the "what ifs" of the matter may be resolved with pro-active certainty. Chances are, this will convert "winning the losing game" into a "winning a winning one."
Simply put, "winning a winning game" is to be damn good with eradicating all the "what ifs," and come out with a reasonable "win-win" situation.
