Winning is achieving victory, but losing is failing to achieve victory. Sometimes, in order to win, we must first lose.

Herb Cohen, an internationally known negotiator, is generally credited for coining the term “win-win” in 1963. Since then, we've heard the “win-win” term applied to many things—always indicating that both parties will benefit from a proposed action.

The Independent reports that the prestigious Highgate School north of London may adopt a “gender neutral” dress code allowing boys to wear pleated skirts “in response to growing numbers of children questioning their gender” (May 14, 2017).

Overshadowed by the fireworks of the Middle East, “The drug war in Mexico was ranked 2016’s second deadliest conflict in the world, with only the war in Syria being labelled worse” (IB Times, May 10, 2017).

According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, “Muslims are projected to be the world’s fastest-growing major religious group in the decades ahead” (PewForum.org, April 5, 2017). The study indicates that births to families which identify as Muslim are projected to surpass births of those who identify as Christian, especially in Europe.

Becoming dissatisfied with our circumstances starts early in many people. Even children, rather than being thankful, will sometimes grouse about the things provided for them. There is a story of a little boy from a time when children in small rural schools would bring their lunch from home in lunch boxes, lunch bags, or a pail that might have originally been a syrup bucket. This youngster was not happy with what his mother sent for his school lunch. He sullenly thought, “It’s just not enough and I don’t like it any way.”