Tim Was Not Elected

The school held elections among students every
year for offices for President, VP, Secretary, etc.
Tim always wanted to edit the year-book but
wasn't chosen for historian for the 2nd time.

I myself didn't feel strongly about office. My
grand-dad, I heard, was head of a county district
and did a few things, including setting up the
first public water pump for farmland irrigation
for my hometown. The pump lasted till this day but                                                          
unfortunately he didn't even live to see his children
get married. The revolution came along and he
was persecuted and died in prison for working
under the other party, leaving his wife and
children and, to some extent, his grand children,
to suffer the next 30 years. "The evil that men do
lives after them. The good is oft interred with
their bones.*" Just like that. Growing up, I                                                                
haven't heard villagers (not even his brother) say                                                          
any good thing, or anything at all, about him.                                                              
What's the point of office? Isn't being a healthy 
and responsible person good enough?

Tim was not very upset, either. I threw enough                                                              
cold water in advance, I guess. It also helped he                                                           
was elected representative again. In the end, I 
told him he did his best, making posters and
preparing for speeches, and that was the reward in                                                          
itself. As the Tao says: the way is to do and to                                                            
not covet**. Sweet truth.

NOTES:

* "Julius Caesar", Shakespeare.
** 圣人之道，为而不争。

[7grizzly]

Thank you, 暖冬, for reading, the feedback and for your kindness to Tim.

Out of experience, I think one's values are much more important than his/her office. The former is within one's control and the latter not so much. So I'd focus on the qualities of my mind and body and treat other things as "fragile modern constructions," as Taleb would say.

[暖冬cool夏]

A very sad story about your grand-dad, and I surely understand what happened in that era, and how ungrateful or numb people could be. But this should not be a reason not to encourage Tim to try again in the future, which I believe you will. We were not born to be leaders (at least I was not, and I am not ), and it is through all kinds of opportunities or practice that leadership is fostered. We don't want our kids to be ordered around like us (or me) when they are placed in the workplace. So be a leader, and outshine or outsmart the Indians (sorry to say this :)). But I definitely agree with you that kids should always take failure in their stride. Best wishes and luck to Tim!