Do people remember “Who Came In Second ?”

A famous quote attributed to Mr. Walter Hagen says “No one remembers who came in second” and the same philosophy is used across the globe to push millions of competitive individuals against each other in different walks of life.

The fear of coming second is so strong that in almost every biography you will be able to point out at least one reference of wisdom-imparting or motivation speech that is specifically based on fear of people “not remembering you” if you lose. This seems to be true because not many biographies are published for the people who actually came second.

Having said that, a simple search can find numerous articles with pictures of athletes on the podium where silver medalist(s) are visibly less happy than the bronze medalist. Some also call the silver medal as “Loser’s Medal” because this is the only medal you get after losing whereas Gold and Bronze are won.

In everyday life the story is no different, to drive this point, the most common question asked is “Who was the first person to walk on the moon?” and immediately followed up with “Who was the second?” An honest response to these questions, in most cases plants fear of coming second rather than motivating the individual to aspire to win the competition.

This article is not to re-validate the same but to show the other side, the brighter side.

Almost every person in this world likes getting photographed so let us alter the above question a little bit and ask “Who was the first person to be photographed on the Moon?” Isn’t it a fantasy question now? Please pause and answer this question yourself. It is very likely that you have answered the question incorrectly. It was Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon was actually the first person to be photographed there. This is because being the first person to step on Moon, it was Neil Armstrong’s duty to hold the camera to record the history.

Another such example is from the fascinating story of the first successful summit of Mount Everest. While everybody now knows that the first person to set foot on Mount Everest was Sir Edmund Hillary closely followed by Tenzing Norgay. However, here again, the image that is etched on our brains and printed to showcase this achievement has Tenzing Norgay standing on Mount Everest. The reason is again something similar. This makes Tenzing Norgay to be the first person to be photographed on Mount Everest.

Getting clicked on Mount Everest is still a fantasy for many

Two of the very important events in contemporary times prove that if you are good enough to follow close second and have the grace and aura of a Champion, destiny will favor you in one way or the other and make sure that the world remembers you. It also shows that being second has its own set of perks that are not available to the person occupying the first spot.

Further driving the point, I want to cite another example of legendary Indian field sprinter Milkha Singh. Even though he never won any medal at the Olympics, the world and billions of Indians fondly remember him because of the photo-finish race he actually lost. In fact, he finished in 4th position in his best performance at the Olympics. The image of that race is itched into brains even 60 years after the event. This made him the first Indian to lose an individual medal at the Olympics by a fraction of a second. He is remembered and respected for his efforts, persona on the field, and an exemplary life that he led later on.

So, achieving some position in an organized event or a perceived competition may generate accolades and recognition for winners. Ultimately, people are remembered for the spirit shown in performing, and accepting favorable and non-favorable results. This spirit generates its own recognition and some unique distinction that is not available with the winners themselves.

Now that tone is set, all of you shall start noticing so many people in your vicinity whom you love and respect not because they stood at first or second position in some race of life but because of how they conducted themselves, how gracefully they accepted the results and how they went ahead to lead lives never bothering about who remembers them for finishing on the second position in a small portion of their larger extra-ordinary life.

Note — All photo credit of pictures used in the article goes to the original owner.