Life is not a competition, but then again, life is a competition. You know what I mean? Have truer words ever been written? Well yes, of course they have, but still, it is a good point, yes? Everyone I know is competitive on some level. And like everything else, competition is good in moderation. I mean, realistically, we have to be a bit competitive just to survive in this world. However, it seems to me society has gotten a bit whacked in keeping the notion of competition and competitive vices healthy. Otherwise, why would we have a zillion athletes taking performance enhancing drugs and then lying about it, right?
I feel competition from so many forces on an almost daily basis. I feel other people comparing my kids to theirs. Whose kids are better? Smarter? More athletic? Prettier and more handsome? Better behaved? Nicer? (The answer to this question, if you are wondering, is mine, of course! Ha! Just ask my mother-in-law, and she will tell you all about how wonderful they are...!) There is the kind of competition that involves the all important WIN. Crazy amount of pressure, that. Who doesn't like to win? And of course the most famous of them all, the "who is busier" competition? Who has a bigger load to handle, more stress to contend with? Who is a better mother? Who works harder? Who is thinner? Who drives the best car? Who has the best job? Life, it would seem, is indeed a competition. It is a competition to see who is the best, plain and simple. Who is the best, the best, the best...?
And really, aren't we all just trying to be and do our best? Why do we compare ourselves with other people? And this is where it gets sticky for me - I KNOW THAT I COMPETE, TOO! It goes back to that bit of wisdom I picked up from O Magazine years ago, the wisdom that says if you don't like something you see in other people, you are more than likely doing it yourself! Oh my...
I will say that I try very hard not compete with the world at large, but I do find myself competing on occasion, despite my best intentions. I'm working on it. And I am glad that I'm aware of it. Sometimes it is actually important to be competitive, right? And sometimes, competition takes all the fun out of life. I'm so glad life isn't a competition! But then again, life is a competition.