The emotionally healthy thing to do would be to accept the result, learn from it, and figure out how to channel that frustrated emotional energy into some kind of positive community action. Or, maybe even learn how to talk more fruitfully with the other side.
But that may not come easily - or quickly.
Tamar Chansky, a psychologist with offices in Philadelphia and Plymouth Meeting, specializes in helping people deal with disappointment. Coming to terms with loss, she said, is a lengthy process. "People will be processing for a long time," she said. "How it feels in the beginning is not how it will always feel."
