Competition

Read a column in the newspaper this morning.  The author is a regular contributor.  She is an athlete, and a competitive one.  Competition drives her.  Her column today was about running the local Deseret News 10K.  She started out the column by talking about how she always sizes up the competition because her ultimate goal is to always finish in the first three places.

This is a hot button with me.  I know there is (and has to be) room in this world for everyone, and the myriads of viewpoints, opinions and abilities that includes.

I personally don't care for the competitive part of this life.  It seems to be carried to great extremes. Being involved in a friendly competitive game just for fun is one thing.  And I'm fine with that, because no one's ego is involved in winning, it's just for fun. (So maybe that's not really competition, if no one cares who wins.)

But as a culture, we put our kids in competitive sports at a young age and teach them it's all about winning.  Sometimes teamwork is involved, but not always.  They must win.  Parents turn into controlling "cheerleaders" urging their kid to push harder, be aggressive, steamroll the opposition.

And therein lies the rub for me: everyone else becomes the opposition.  Winner takes all.  Winner is the best (whatever that means).  All the rest are losers. Not worth anything.

I find this to be the antithesis of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  His atonement covers every single human to ever live on this earth.  It is all inclusive.  And doesn't exclude based on speed, or skill, or luck or anything else.  It is for everyone.  It isn't competitive.

In fact, in regards to the eternal plan, the only "competition" should be that with our own self as we strive - always - to be a better person than we were the day (or the minute) before.  As we work to improve our own "personal best".  And along the way we reach out to not only lift another who could use a bit of help along the way, but we also reach out to be lifted.  We help one another, we don't compete against them.  Because Heavenly Father's love (and eternal plan) is enough for every one.   I believe Heavenly Father looks at us each as equals - not winners or losers or even competitors, but beloved individuals with value no matter what.

Of course, all of this is my own personal opinion, and I know there are many who would disagree, particularly the author of this column.  Still, I think when we immerse ourselves (our souls, mind and spirits) in competition to be the best, we open ourselves up to discouragement & arrogance as well as vulnerability to the adversary.  Which is not a good place to be in.  It's my sense that being that absorbed in one's self to the exclusion of others (to besting them, beating them and belittling their efforts by our own determination to excel) it drives away the very spirit that we spend our life working for.

The aforementioned columnist nearly always focuses on competition, both the things she competes in and the things she has her children involved in.  She promotes it because she likes it.  But I find it a bit at odds with her particular religious background.  I wonder what a conversation with her would be like.  Likely it would end up in a competition, with her the "winner".  That thought makes me sad.