Retired Navy officer: When it comes to politics, it does matter how you play the game

As children, many of us were taught, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game that counts." I suspect we don't teach that to children anymore. I think some time ago, Vince Lombardi's, "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing," took its place (though he wasn't the first person to use it).

Mayor Lenny Curry is an extreme example. He loves sports — especially football — and seems to view life through a zero-sum lens.

In Eastern philosophy, our "how you play the game" aphorism is called "non-attachment to results." Another way to put it is, "Do your best. The rest isn't up to you." It's a lever for attention, that faculty of consciousness that apprehends your reality. It helps you to direct your "focus."

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We're told we must focus on the goal to achieve it. But if you're focusing only on the goal, where is your attention?

Twenty years ago, when I was studying martial arts, I had a single, one-on-one lesson in Aikido, which has stayed with me for the rest of my life. My instructor chose a simple exercise to demonstrate one of the principles of Aikido.

We stood facing one another and he asked me to grab his wrists with my hands. He then said that no matter what happened next, I wasn't to move or lift my feet. He would do the same, but he would move his arms, which I was holding at the wrists. Just keep my feet planted on the ground, and he would do the same.

It was only a second before one of my feet came off the ground. We did this a few times, and all I learned was that I couldn't keep my feet on the ground.

We switched, he grabbed my wrists, told me to keep my feet on the ground and try to get him to lift one of his feet. Try as I would, his feet never left the mat.

Then, the lesson. He told me that when my hands grasped his wrists, all of my attention went to my hands. That's how we manipulate the world. But my hands were useless in keeping my balance, keeping my feet on the ground.

Should I have focused all of my attention on my feet? No.

I had to place my attention at my center. You can't respond to being pushed off balance by using your hands. You shift your center of gravity.

We did the drill again, and I was much more successful at keeping my feet on the mat. The lesson I learned is that it's always important to pay attention to your center, in life and in putting on your socks.

There's an election coming up in Jacksonville. What's on the ballot are "more of the same" and a remarkable woman who may be able to bring real change to the political culture of Jacksonville. Certainly, a new tone and direction for city government, for at least her term of office.

Mayor Curry (true to his zero-sum view) has tweeted words to the effect, "In order to govern, first you have to win." But knowing how to "win" isn't the same as knowing how to govern, as his administration has demonstrated.

Paying attention to your center, doing your best, is far more valuable in governing than knowing how to win.

Daniel Davis is campaigning to "win" the election. But he's not doing his best. How will he govern?

Donna Deegan knows her center, her campaign proceeds from it and she's giving all of Jacksonville her best. Just as she will as mayor.

Cmdr. Dave Rogers, U.S. Navy (retired), Ponte Vedra

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: In politics, playing solely to win isn't always the best strategy