How to Handle Soul-Crushing Rejection…of Your Resolutions
By Shrika Gadepalli
Photography by Lilly Tourville
(Please Note: This piece is satire.)
So your draft resolution just got rejected. Maybe it was vetoed faster than you could say ‘point of personal privilege’. Maybe your amendments were tossed out like existential thoughts after 11 pm. Maybe, just maybe, the one delegate who hasn’t spoken at all, suddenly found the courage to oppose it dramatically, stating your resolution was a ‘blatant waste of time, a degradation of the states on earth.’
Fear not. Rejection is part of the MUN experience, and luckily, there’s a strategy to help you cope—straight from the wisdom of seasoned delegates and experts from the field of rejection management. Not that they are mutually exclusive.
Step 1: Truly Embody Disappointment (For 0.5 Seconds)
It’s okay to acknowledge (and personalize) your feelings. In MUN, this means giving yourself one moment of silence before returning to passive-aggressive note-passing. As one delegate wisely stated, ‘I acknowledge the chair’s decision, but I would like to remind the committee that this is a blatant attack on our sovereignty.’
Step 2: Separate Rejection from Self-Worth (Or Blame the Delegate of France)
Rejection doesn’t mean you’re a bad delegate. It just means your allies weren’t effectively bribed with vouchers. Take it from one delegate who insisted, ‘This resolution was a beacon of diplomacy, and yet, certain nations have chosen to stand on the wrong side of history.’
Step 3: Remind Yourself Everyone Experiences Rejection (Even the P5 Countries)
Every delegate has faced rejection, even the seemingly unstoppable U.S. or China. As one exasperated delegate once whispered after a failed vote: ‘Even the GA (General Assembly) has bad days.’ If a P5 nation can be humbled, so can you.
Step 4: Learn From the Rejection (Or Gaslight the Committee Into Thinking You Still Won)
Reflect on what went wrong. In MUN, this translates to using strategic phrasing to reframe your narrative. ‘While my resolution did not pass, I think we can all agree that it shifted the discourse in the right direction.’
Step 5: Take Care of Yourself (Via Diplomatic Snacking or Intense Notes)
Self-care matters. When your resolution is crushed, seek solace in the freshly-made poffertjes. If that miraculously doesn’t help, unleash your emotions through a passionately worded note: ‘Why does the delegate of the UK hate world peace?’
Step 6: Move On (You Have No Other Choice)
MUN is a game of persistence. So dust yourself off, and hold your head high.
This is just another stepping stone to future diplomatic success. And if all else fails, start a bloc to write a new resolution that subtly excludes the delegates who wronged you. That’s true diplomacy in action.
