Two

Two. It is one of the first numerals that you learn as a child. To be precise, its the second , right behind the number "one". And that's where its slotted forever- second. 

Any of its desires to come in first cannot be realized. They are just dreams- pipe dreams. They are just wishes. 

Well, this picture is a bit special. It was the icon on my messenger when my return back to home after a long assignment was just two days away. The excitement was just palpable - considering that I was returning after a long period of three months.

But when the D-day arrived, the exhilaration of Day One beat the fervor of Day Two. If Day One seemed like a running race, the previous day seemed like a pedestrian walk. 

Day Two lost to Day One!! Why? What does number two feel when he comes behind number one?

Another incident that I remember was when I was back in school. As part of the school's annual day - a play was being staged. It had a scene of a wrestling match between a well built fellow and a guy of modest build. Incidentally, I was the referee in that staged match.

The almost fatso was supposed to lose - signifying a victory of an underdog. Surprisingly, after a few trial runs, the guys just developed cold feet and refused to play the role. 

Everyone including the teachers were surprised. What had made the guy refuse to play a role, a character, which would be seen by more than a thousand people on that day? Every parent loves to see his child being appreciated by a wider group of audience. Yet, this silly guy was not taking up this opportunity.

After a bit of coaxing and prodding, he revealed the real reason. He didn't want to lose a staged match in the play in front of the entire school. He didn't want to be number two. He wanted to finish first. This incident made me realise the importance people placed on coming first.

You must have heard about Alpha Romeo. But then have you heard about Beta Romeo ? No. He does not exist. To win in love, you need to come in first - at least once. 

You have several quotes said by famous men and women on winning. The one that comes to my mind is this one. 

~~ Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.

 

Here you can realise the importance being placed on finishing first. And the disgrace of finish second. Is it really this serious? Is winning so much important?

Shiv Khera, a motivational speaker, once said - 

~~ Winners don't do different things, they do things differently.

Made me wonder what do people who come in second do? Nothing? Or something which is already done? Or do they do something differently, but the difference does not stand out or is not recognized? 

You must have heard about the quote - Two is a company, Three is a crowd. 

I make my memory jog in the reverse direction, and run a Google Search. Yet I am not able to recollect an incident in near times when I felt so. Was it because I was too generous not to have such a feeling? No. I think I was the one who was the crowd. 

If one is good, two is bad, then three is worse. 

You would have seen those athletic competitions where they award prizes for the people who stand in the top three. Being number two does not look bad after all in such cases.

But what if the game had just two players? Well, if you lose, your heart will just sink.

Catch the thoughts of the British cyclist Victoria Pendleton who won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Women’s Individual Sprint event.

Need I say more???

You must have heard - It takes two to tango. 

Well, although it takes two people - a man and a woman to have a wonderful tango dance, the intent of the quote is slightly different. 

What it actually means is that to be sucessfull in some endeavour, if one is not sufficient, two might do the trick. An active co operation or a close handshake between two might make the enterprise a winner.

And if you are following the Cricket World Cup 2011, then you must have seen this advertisement featuring Harbhajan Singh.

Harbhajan Singh, with Pepsi, is seen promoting his flagship ball - The Doosra. This ball has taken many a wickets for India in some crucial moments of the match. The Doosra in english would mean The Second. 

And from the last two illustrations, we can see that you can be a winner with a "Two" too. 

Don't lose heart if you are second. 

If "One" is straight as a stick, "Two" has those generous curves. After all, the winning post might be just beyond those bends.