We look outward at others and compare ourselves to them
Next, of course, is the inevitable step of looking to external factors and to compare ourselves to others. You're tall, I'm not. You're different in a hundred ways to me. In children, of course, this is not usually a problem. Remember the stories of black and white children playing together happily in the playground of South Africa during apartheid. They had no idea they were so different until their parents informed them. Of course, our comparisons grow up as we do. They become more subtle, more damning, more condemning and secret.
We seek for achievement to distinguish ourselves
And so, we seek to be known for something good, unique, powerful, so we can look good on our own comparison meter. It starts in the school yard, where we realize we are taller, or smarter, or gifted differently from the other kids. We appreciate ourselves because we are the ones who are good at math, or sports, or singing. And as the years go by the comparisons get more elaborate with spelling bees, science projects, sports team championship, and all of the other myriad ways we acknowledge achievement. Of course, a wall full of trophies from Jr. High don't guarantee a successful, fulfilling life, do they? One of the most humorous moments in the movie Napoleon Dynamite was the scene of Uncle Rico video taping himself throwing a football and fantasizing about going back in time to win state. It's funny, but in a pathetic way. And the reason it's funny is it is all too true of us all. We all relate to Rico and his sad fantasy. We want to be special, significant. We all desire to be champions or beauty queens of some kind, admired by adoring crowds. When this desire is turned into an adult desire for success many of us find a challenge worthy of our greatest attention. We exchange the trophies, awards and crowns for houses, cars and status. But within all of this is the very real desire to be significant.
From: JavaJazzJesus
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