Comparison is the thief of joy, but sometimes it is a necessity, albeit an evil necessity. Self-esteem goes to the toilet when one finds herself comparing her qualities to another. Her appearance, intelligence, or compassion might seem dim in the shadow of another. In this case, she is left with two options: either work to improve herself, or learn to be happy with herself. Either of these options will make her a better person in the future.

We spent our entire childhoods listening to adults tell us we are special, unique, one of a kind.

"Do not try to be anyone but yourself."

Why then have we grown up to feel the need to constantly match ourselves up with those around us? Simple. Human beings are naturally competitive. That is how we evolve, change, grow as human beings. Without others to compare ourselves to, we would never progress. We would become complacent with ourselves, which would lead to stagnation, and eventually destruction.

In today's society, the body-positivity movement is in full-force, sweeping up social media in the whirlwind of its self-confident agenda. This movement encourages individuals to find peace and joy in their individualities.

With the increasing numbers of depressed and/or suicidal individuals, a movement advocating for self-love and self-confidence is indeed a beautiful tool. Its goal is to make people see the beauty within themselves and to eliminate the need for comparison.

However, the total extermination of comparison is not only impossible, it is not healthy. Yes, the "bopo" movement has helped countless people with their self-image, self-esteem, and self-confidence, but there comes a time when comparison is necessary. When the individual has reached a plateau of self-improvement, she must turn to outside sources to continue to prosper.

Comparison allows one to judge not only others around her, but also herself, and to find those areas open for improvement. Change is an innate part of human nature. One's body and mind are constantly evolving. How? Through comparison.

One sees others' positive characteristics and envies them. This leads her to feel the need to improve herself to match those positive characteristics. Whether those characteristics be physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual, there will always be room for improvement.

That improvement might not always be so concrete, but do not doubt its presence. You might be thinking, "What if I am happy the way I am?" Well, how did you come to decide that? Most likely through comparison. You may have reached a point in your life where you feel you can no longer improve, that you are already functioning to the best of your abilities. Okay, then you now serve as a role model for others. Other people will look to you and compare themselves to you. While you may not be improving yourself, you are helping to improve others.

In addition, if you are content with who you are and where you are in your life, your improvement might appear to be frozen, but you are actually continuing to improve every day subconsciously. By choosing to remain true to your characteristics in the constant wake of the ever-evolving outside world, your mentality and confidence are improving in strength in proportion to that outside world.

When one improves herself, she inspires improvement within others, which starts the snowball that turns into an avalanche. It is not an easy feat to accomplish, but the art of using comparison as a means of improvement instead of destruction is indeed powerful. It might seem evil, but it is necessary and will be more beneficial than you could ever imagine.