Life As We Compete

I have been competing since I was five at school. I realize that the society had its way to give rewards to those people who excel and push themselves to their limits to be better than what others can achieve. I was too young to understand what competing means, and lived a life thereafter characterized by tough competition and desire to be better than others - a life I have been trying to relearn anew in the last few months.

Never easy.

Nothing in life is easy. Everything should be earned in the hard way. If you want something, exert something extra. To be noticed, one have to do something unique. To get attention, then one have to pour more time to be good to at least one, and avoid ending like a mediocre. Being good is difficult, while being average is easy but not enough. Quite simple interpretation of what life has to offer, but obviously false. The norms and standards are never considered the threshold of happiness. Should we find ourselves in challenging situations, it should be for us pursuing to be happy and contented in life, not in pursuit of meeting social standards. Seek what makes us happy, strive for it, never falter. Not wander aimlessly in life to be unique, popular and best than the most.

Never comfortable.

Pushing one's limits to achieve something better is never a walk in the park. It involves tenacity, discipline, time and extreme effort. That is beyond the comfort zone of anyone. This is enshrined in any form of competition, but the rewards thereafter are wrapped in majestic words of reaping the fruits after the toil. However, one should not forget that humans are not machines, comparable with another, aiming to produce the most desired and efficient results. We humans have feelings, and most of the time, this is disregarded in a competition. It is neglected willfully for the purpose of achieving a goal. I must say, a goal attained through this way is void because the fruits maybe harvested, good as others say, but bitter and never sweet for the person involved. This is non-sense I believe.

Never purposeful.

The purpose of competition is to facilitate betterment of the society. This is true in a theoretical sense, but never with people with feelings. Instead, motivating everyone to be better, it discourages the average majority to be better. People would merely accept that the "competition" is between the few elite. Yes, the bar for the best may have been elevated, but not necessarily everyone in the society. Betterment of the society is an encompassive goal, not restricted with the few, but generally for everyone.

It has been tough. Competing means being better, but it becomes unnecessary when it is done for others, and not for oneself. It becomes incorrect if it becomes a part of life, thereby making think of competition as a way of life. It becomes painful when people gets fixated with the idea that one has to prove himself every time. Thus, from now on, I am letting go of that thought, as well as people, who in one way or another, encourages people to compete for either attention, time and recogntion. Everyone deserves its own unique distinction.