One's great victories should not be at the expense of others.

We all have that desire to win. We always want to win in something; tournaments, competitions, even contests. But what measures have we been using to win all that we desire to? Do we severely injure our opponents to the point of withdrawal? Do we discredit our opponents with skeletons in their closets? Or even put down our opponents to the point where they break physically, mentally or emotionally?

Winning at all costs in ugliest of fashions is a defeat of humanity in itself, no matter how great the victory is. What is the use of celebrating your glorious victory when your nearest opponent licks his open wounds in defeat, contemplating what he had done to deserve the injuries inflicted by your unethical ways to win? By winning using such methods, you have lost your human spirit. You are thinking of nothing else but winning at all costs. You even resort to annihilation to achieve the victory, no matter how minuscule or grandiose it is. In short, you have won everything there is to win, but you have lost yourself. That is the nature of winning at all costs.

What goes on the competition field stays in the competition field. You may be enemies from the kick-off to the end, but when the final whistle blows, congratulate your opponents and shake their hands to appreciate the great battle you and your opponent have made in the competition. When your opponent is injured, halt the game and help him. When you have won, encourage him to train harder. When you have lost, acknowledge him for his victory. You may be rivals during the duration of the competition, be it several seconds or several hours, but outside of it, have a friendly banter over a cup of coffee. That is the nature of a model sportsman.

Remember, great victories should not be achieved at the expense of others. It is the way to achieve and sustain the human spirit in this world.