Donald Trump, the Presidential Mountain, and When the Game is Really Over
Gregg Zegarelli Esq.
Managing Shareholder at Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC
As we look forward to 2021, it is rather determined that President Biden will take office in the coming months.
For some, this fact is great news, for others, not so much. Irrespective of personal preferences, we can still take this precious moment of time to reflect upon the momentous circumstances of 2020, particularly with regard to the Presidential Election.
Donald Trump remains a fascinating subject, whether we despise him or not. He was controversial in entering into office, he is controversial in holding office, and he is controversial regarding departing from office.
By some application of definition, it tends not to be interesting to review minor controversy, because minor controversy is not really controversy, as such. Therefore, the inherent nature of controversy is that it has achieved critical mass of interest and divergence. That is, the controversy has sufficient contention to make the contention interesting.
Everyone wants their own team to win—indeed, to win by a landslide—particularly over a team that is despised. And, yet, for those of us who are so inclined, we adore a great game—a riveting great game, the more riveting the better. It's that extreme contention for some that keeps the game interesting, so says the great Seneca the Younger:
Behold a contest worthy of a god, a brave man matched in conflict with adversity.
For the scientist or the artist, as the case may be, the unsatisfied curiosity of the subject, matched with the never-ending quest to achieve the skill to complete the question, drives the champion to self-actualization and self-improvement.
We listen again to the great Seneca; to wit:
Is there any hard-working man to whom idleness is not a punishment? We see athletes, who study their bodily strength, engage in contests with the strongest of men, and insist that those who train them for the arena should put out their whole strength when practicing with them: they endure blows and maltreatment, and, if they cannot find any single person who is their match, they engage with several at once.
In the tough games, we find the champion. No game, no champion. Meeting threats—that is, conquering adversity—is human nature itself. It is exactly why human beings rule the Earth. We are conquerors. From napkin to napalm.
In these games of conflict, even if we should despise the Kansas City Chiefs for the adverse effects they inflict upon our own self-interest, we must admire Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, because he brings something new and interesting to the game. He moves like a millennial skateboarder with an unmatched playfulness. Even if Dr. Fauci should despise the COVID-19 virus, he must be fascinated by the virus's attributes to inflict horrific infection. Even if a psychologist should despise Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer, there must still be a fascination with the attributes of their mental condition. And, who can count out GOAT Tom Brady, who refused to concede in Superbowl LI, recovering against all odds.
Perhaps an overstatement at the risk of being misunderstood, but a giggle at just the right moment will tell us exactly who we are, even for a fierce competitor.
We've heard the arguments about Donald Trump not conceding the election. Yes, lofty goals, dignity of office, ego, the American Experience and its transition culture, etc. Merits of those arguments aside, Donald Trump—that is, President Trump—knows the basic rule of competition, perhaps the quintessential rule of the game:
It ain't over until it is.
Everyone reserves a right to love or to hate Donald Trump, but I'll suggest there is something to learn from him, and if there's too much despise, our mind will close off to the lesson Donald Trump so valuably teaches.
A life lesson. A success lesson. A champion lesson.
Whether we liken ourselves with Donald Trump, or we liken ourselves against Donald Trump, he teaches us that the game is not over, until every task is completed—not almost completed, but completed, meaning there is nothing left that can be done.
That is, to endure to the end of the game.
And, the lesson itself is neutral, as it simply does not care on which side we play.
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The inspiration is not directed to a team, but to the play of the game.
Indeed, a lesson offered to us in The Game of Thrones—not The Luck, Hope and Prayer of Thrones—The Game of Thrones...
I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage. —Friedrich Nietzsche
He conquers who endures. —Persius
Let us give thanks and appreciate the lesson (E4.8):
God does not pet the good man: He tries him, hardens him, and fits him for Himself. Without an antagonist, skill fades away. The tender neck chafes at the yoke, and prosperity unbruised cannot endure a single blow. But, for a man who has acquired a skin calloused by suffering, even if he stumbles, he carries the fight, upon his knee.
I assess the power of a will by how much resistance, pain, torture it endures and knows how to turn to its advantage. —Friedrich Nietzsche
He conquers who endures. —Persius
* Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., earned both his Bachelor of Arts Degree and his Juris Doctorate from Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His dual major areas of study were History from the College of Liberal Arts and Accounting from the Business School (qualified to sit for the CPA examination), with dual minors in Philosophy and Political Science. He has enjoyed Adjunct Professorships in the Duquesne University Graduate Leadership Master Degree Program (The Leader as Entrepreneur; Developing Leadership Character Through Adversity) and the University of Pittsburgh Law School (The Anatomy of a Deal). He is admitted to various courts throughout the United States of America.
Gregg Zegarelli, Esq., is Managing Shareholder of Technology & Entrepreneurial Ventures Law Group, PC. Gregg is nationally rated as "superb" and has more than 35 years of experience working with entrepreneurs and companies of all sizes, including startups, INC. 500, and publicly traded companies. He is author of One: The Unified Gospel of Jesus, and The Business of Aesop™ article series, and co-author with his father, Arnold Zegarelli, of The Essential Aesop: For Business, Managers, Writers and Professional Speakers. Gregg is a frequent lecturer, speaker and faculty for a variety of educational and other institutions.
© 2020 Gregg Zegarelli, Esq. Gregg can be contacted through LinkedIn.
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