All in good Time!

There has been so much hype this week about the US presidential elections so I decided to ride the wave. I should however point out that I was not as invested as I have been with the previous elections. At the back of my mind, I was partially indifferent of whom I wanted to win which can be surprising to some. My indifference is a subject for another day but there is no doubt that Joe Biden was the more likable character of the two front runners.

The story of Joe Biden

Attempts at becoming the US president

1. First attempt

At the age of 46, Biden made his first attempt at becoming the US president in June 1987. He was considered potentially one of the strongest candidates in the field at the time. In September 1987, plagiarism stories of a speech by a British politician Neil Kinnock surfaced in newspapers. There were also other allegations of plagiarism when he was still at law school including exaggerating his academic record. Because of these allegations, he dropped from the race later that September.

2. Second attempt

20 years after his first attempt, at the age of 65, Biden announced his candidacy again for US Presidency on 7 January 2007 and officially became a candidate on 31 January 2007. He failed to get enough support and dropped out of the race a year later on 3 January 2008.

3. Third attempt

Biden announced his bid to run again for president on 25 April 2019 and officially launched his campaign on 29 April 2019. He has finally been successful and is now the 46th US president elect at the age of 77.

Man of tragedies

In 1972 at the age of 30, when Biden had just been elected as senator for Delaware, was waiting to take office and had been married for only six years, his wife and daughter died in a car accident. Fast forward to May 2015, he lost his first born son to brain cancer which made him not to run for president in 2016.

The lessons

Failure

It took 32 years for Biden to realise his dream of becoming president. Failing at something is not the end of the world. There are certain lessons that we learn from failure that success cannot teach us. Failing humbles us and by the way, humility is a good thing. Failing builds tenacity. Failing does not in any way mean you cannot be that which you want to be. Failing does not make you a failure. If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.

All in good time

Our paths in life are different and that is ok. Some's paths may be long and winding while others' are sweet, short and straight. While Barack Obama became president at his first attempt at the age of 47, it took Biden 3 attempts to finally succeed at the age of 77 and that is still fine. We have different seasons in life. We cannot put pressure on people whose season has not yet come. If our path was short and straight and we have arrived at our destination, the best we can do is to encourage those who have not yet arrived. It is important to have the understanding that as human beings, we are unique, each with their own experiences. If your path is the one that is long and winding, don't look at the one who has arrived and get discouraged. In most cases, it is the long and winding path that is full of valuable life lessons. Therefore, all in good time, we will arrive at our various destinations in life, and the sweat along the journey will make the ultimate victory even sweeter.

It is never too late

Having first made an attempt at becoming president at the age of 46, one could say, at 76 Biden would have believed that the ship had long sailed, but he didn't! Last year, I read about Paulo de Valdoleiros, a South African doctor who graduated from medical school at 51. The point is, it is never too late to become what we dream of and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Time heals

The scandals that caused Biden to drop out of the race in 1987 were a non issue during his 2020 presidential bid. Mistakes can be made along the way but they should not define who you are. If you weather the storm, keep your head high and learn from them, you can bounce back and rise above that which set you back in the past.

What of tragedies?

"I know how mean, cruel, and unfair life can be sometimes, " Biden said during his campaign, "But I found the best way through pain, and loss and grief is to find purpose.”

The tragedies that befall us along life's journey have the potential of either shaping or breaking us. Unbearable as they are oftentimes, we are faced with two choices, that of giving up or keeping on? I'm by no means saying it is going to be easy but maybe, just maybe, if we don't give up and keep going, our life stories too might have a Biden ending.