Dear Editor:

Everyone needs to remember that all wins in life come from stumbles, mistakes and losing in games. Science begins with theories that lead us to discover causes and solutions. In the 2016 election there were winners and losers, but there were also open pathways to problems previously unseen with solutions going forward.

For all the women who were beaten up and plowed under by verbal abuse rhetoric reminding those 20-35 percent who have been sexually assaulted during their lifetimes and finding themselves in tears Wednesday morning, it is important to see that 213 Emerge trained women won in 16 states, including 17 in Maine. Four will be U.S. senators and three are women of color. The senators are Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto, California’s Kamala Harris, Illinois’s Tammy Duckworth, and New Hampshire‘s Maggie Hassan.

Most importantly, despite the ugly rhetoric against her, Hillary Clinton won the popularity vote in Maine (48.1 percent to 45 percent) and elsewhere in the country. Also Maine’s Chellie Pingree won (57.9 percent to 42.1 percent). These wins demonstrate that women are valued by society and do win elections under unimaginable circumstances.

Other good news results across the country included the election loss of Arizona Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, with his long history of illegal and unethical actions. Voters approved sweeping anti-corruption initiatives nationwide with bipartisan support. Climate concerned groups won six out of six propositions they had endorsed. Americans for responsible solutions won gun violence prevention ballot initiatives in California, Washington State and Nevada. Direct democracy referendums in Maine also won — Questions 1, 4 and 5.

The big win for the whole country was the revealing of racial intolerance during the campaign that had been hidden from our view causing many to believe that Civil Rights issues played a minor role in the United States. Another cause is the electoral college process. Awareness of causes is a gift in life as it leads to better solutions. All problems have positive solutions that come from research, education and determination of the best choice among many solutions. Losing a race is a win when causes of that loss are exposed, leaving hope for the future.

Jarryl Larson

Edgecomb