Thoughts about politics and failure

A NYT sports article (not paywalled) focused on a commencement speech that retired tennis great Roger Federer gave at Dartmouth in 2024. He focused on his failures and how he dealt with them.

Federer:  “Now, I have a question for you. What percentage of points do you think I won in those matches? . . . . . . Only 54 percent. When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think, ‘OK, I double-faulted. It’s only a point.’ When you’re playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world, and it is. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point and the next point after that, with intensity, clarity and focus. .... You can work harder than you thought possible and still lose. Perfection is impossible. Negative energy is wasted energy. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. .... Effortless is a myth. It’s not about having a gift. It’s about having grit.”

Why did that resonate? It feels like that can translate to politics. 

One can treat political disagreements as a marathon of “points”, to keep focus on the  what’s next. Instead of fixating on losses and spending negative energy, one can maintain clarity for continuing efforts. That helps maintain resistance against aggressive authoritarian backsliding and democracy defender burnout.