Invisible competitions

What are our competitions going up?

It could be how many toys you owned as a child, or how many cool stuffs that other kids dreamed of but you were the only kid that had.

Then it turned out to be how many friends, or bad-ass friends to be specific, that you had around or you knew of as a teenager.

Things get complicated when we grow up.

At first, the “status” of what university you attended or what company that you joined would definitely be the main topic for comparison.

Then, how much money do you earn, how quickly you get up in your career ladder, etc.

All of the sudden, we become marathoners that compete against each other, regardless of ages, health, capabilities, and most absurdly, when and where did we start?

Anyway, going back to the “competition” per se, now I’m facing a new one, a quite serious one recently: Competition with my neighbors.

It’s totally understandable given the fact that I’m now old enough to spend much time inside than outside of my house like the good old days. Needless to mention a strange COVID era that we all are living in that pulls everyone away from each other like the way gravity forces you to become more down to earth.

Now my world view is squeezed and downsizing to the point that it only covers 1km radius from where I live.

My focus too is going inward, which is a purely good thing people say, that forces me to corner my own self every day and shower it with head-aches questions.

- So, what do you want to do today? You don’t know? How come you don’t know what you’re gonna do?

- OK let me fix that. Hmm. Let’s start with the things that you like. What is that? Quick quick! Give it to me

- You don’t know too? OMG! How about things that you don’t like. Things that make you feel angry and bored so we can get rid of that.

- You don’t…? NO, no, don’t say that.

- Let me help you. You don’t like this machine and that furniture and this stuff and all of those kinds of stuff over there.

- They are like the pains in your eyes.

- So let them go! Replace them with things that you really want to have. Things that just click.

- Things that you want to have just because you know exactly how they would make your life better and easier, instead of how affordable they are at the time.

- Yes! Of course! Go surround yourself with and only with things you love. You only live once, remember?

Let’s stop here. I might go a bit too far from my point. What was my point again? Ah, competition, right right.

From time to time, when you own something that makes you feel good, you desire to share with others, to show them how happy you are, how beautiful those pieces of art that you had deliberately picked up. And most importantly, to show them subtlety how sophisticated your style is, and what an enjoyable life you have.

Oh, believe me, that’s what neighbors are here for.

Now let’s think again when you are the one who is invited to see others’ houses.

- Wow, they do know how to live their life!

- Where did you buy it? Amazon? Great! I’ll get a pair for myself. Cannot resist it!

- …Wait a minute, I do like it very much so I bought it. But why now I’m feeling like I’m just catching up?

Well, smell the tension up in the air now?

Starting as an idea of self-loving and caring, now it doesn’t feel as good, does it?

Maybe instead of busting myself to reach the infinity goal with others, I just need to stop and walk at my own pace on my own line.

Let just stop the mental madness of social comparison.

Because for any single competition that you think you are on, if you don’t start at the same time with others and you don’t even know where and when this will end, then it is not even a fair competition.

If so, why even bother to compete in the first place?

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