As humans who like to be in control of things like our emotions, appearance, or our future. We like it when things work out just as we planned it to. It is in fact very satisfactory when we could check things off our lists and cross out our to-do-lists. There is nothing like the feeling of accomplishment running down our veins and especially when we could win on everything there is to life. We would do anything for that dose of high, that's good. But what about when we logically can't make sense of anything worth living for than our success and accomplishments? Now, that's a problem! In an environment where success is always expected in a perfectly wrapped box, it is hard to see far beyond that. But, that's what we live for almost everyday. We have already aliened everything we need but if something goes wrong, if our plans fail we are made to feel bad by the society. We are constantly comparing ourselves with others without even knowing it. Naturally, we are all selfish since birth. It all started off with stealing toys from our siblings or being extremely self-absorbed from a very young age, that nature still lives within us deep down. Evolutionary speaking, it is part of our means of daily survival where competition is a constant force upon all of us.
Some enlightenment thinkers and philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes talk extensively in the matter of competition and selfishness that is embedded within the human nature. On his book Leviathan, Hobbes describes our nature as the following, "If any two men desire the same thing, which never themselves they cannot both enjoy, they become enemies; and in the way of their end endeavor to destroy, or subdue one another" In this sense, anything in life applies to the scenario. We cannot tame this desire to want to compete in every situation so that we could feel we are always winning. But what if we don't win all the time or at all? What do we do? The answer than goes along the lines of what are we competing for? Why is there so much thought and effort put into competing with others? Is it a form of subconscious denial of our low self- esteem? Is it to prove to others that they should be looking out for us? This article is not supposed to be a revolutionary idea in which we all should follow or a sudden new way of thinking. This is a personal reflection even for myself to think about. Than why is it necessary to compete, especially if we believe we are governed by our own individual thoughts and set of rules? There is nothing better than being content with everything you believe in, the lifestyle you live or the interests you have. Why spill your cup of joy chasing empty cups?
