...fuels the fire. Of course, fire can be highly beneficial or highly destructive. Whether we want to admit it or not, we live in quite the Pharisaical society. Social ranking and status mean a great deal. The athletic industry dominates our culture, in many ways. At some point, individuals stop being viewed as people. Rather, they are seen as obstacles to be overcome.
Competition provides a warped sense of logic. Our moral failings are deemed acceptable, as long as there is someone else who is failing much more significantly than we are. The "at least I'm not like so-and-so" mentality is deeply rooted in our psyche. We even become competitive in our selflessness. Acts of service and "good deeds" move beyond an intent to help, care for, and love others. Instead, we stockpile such gestures, making ourselves appear more favorable in the eyes of the public than those who do less. How ironic that we would attempt to focus on others with the aim that the world would focus more on us!
Perhaps the root problem of competition is an overwhelming compulsion to be well-liked. We need to achieve such victories because we are obsessed with what others think of us. And that is quite the fickle obsession. We are always going to be a "nobody" in somebody's view. Sadly, some of us believe ourselves to be "nobodies" in everybody's view. So who out there has a point of view that actually matters? We need a person who can be the Great Equalizer, eliminating the necessity of competition. And, if such a person exists, does he or she think you're a "somebody"?
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