Competition; one of the surest ways to cause suffering. We seem to value those whom participate and win, but it is a true double-edged sword, for as we cheer for the victor, we disrespect the one who did not succeed in achieving that recognition of ‘being BEST!’
And the word BEST is such a relative term, for to be the best indicates that someone else is not. More misery has come from ‘feeling not good enough’ in every circumstance, and especially where competition is concerned.
Yet we constantly strive to instill in our young the desire to be competitive. Many do this in the hope that it will somehow cause our children to excel in their academic endeavors; that the feeling to be the ‘best’ will somehow make them want to learn and succeed, when usually it creates the opposite feeling, and instead instills a feeling oftentimes of wishing to give up!
Feeling not good enough is usually a result of being placed into a competitive role, and somehow not measuring up to others’ standards of achievement and recognition. We place ourselves and our young in that role, and then wonder why motivation, creativity, and curiosity diminish in many more than we tend to pay attention to, instead of just giving them our unconditional support and care.
Raising our young and wishing for them the best is natural; what is not is so many parents with well meaning intentions and attempts, deciding to instill a drive to succeed by pitting them against each other to achieve that goal.
Competition is in truth a mark of a very primitive society, for it produces unrest at the least, and even violence when brought to an extreme. How many otherwise peaceful children, cultures, nations, etc, would thrive if instead of competition, they were treated with the respect and dignity that we are all One, accepted by our differences, and honored, instead of being treated in a way that they become offended and merely tolerated at best?
The only way to succeed in anything is to Love what we are doing. Competition oftentimes creates a silent hatred for the hobby or activity we once held so dear to our hearts.
If one wishes to compete at all, merely competing with oneself, dedicated to an intention of doing OUR best, overcoming obstacles, and excelling to the Greatest, Grandest version and vision we ever had of who we Really Are, is ‘competition’ enough.
For there IS only ONE, and we are All That. To go against another part of ourselves, in the form of another, only leads to separation, and with that comes suffering. In a highly evolved society, one would never cause another to ‘lose,’ for they know that the other who ‘lost’ is also them. They would never instill competition in anyone because it is teaching to go against Self, and this they would never do.
True Love for Self is always Unity, and with that comes Peace.
Many Blessings!
