"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." - Ernest Hemingway
In today's world, people strive to be better than others in every situation. This is what society tells us we need to do. Because we see examples of this on TV, in the media, and even social media, we think we have to do it or we won't be "cool." But, let's be real. What's actually cool about trying to be better than your fellow man? What's cool about becoming like everyone else around you in doing so? Absolutely nothing. Striving to be better than others isn't what anyone should be focused on.
Instead, we should be focusing on bettering ourselves. We should be focused on being a better person than we were before. We should be looking at how we can make a change in not only ourselves but the world around us. Believe it or not, change is a good thing. Change is a beautiful thing. And, to become superior to our former selves we must accept change as it comes into our lives. By focusing on being superior to others, we're not doing that whatsoever. That mindset only worsens things. It has never and will never change anything for the better.
"What lies before us and what lies behind us are small matters compared to what lies within us. And when you bring what is within out into the world, miracles happen."- Henry David Thoreau
Nothing will change until we change, and we can start that change by working on ourselves from the inside-out. If we're focused on the outside world and trying to be superior to our fellow man at the same time, there is no way we can begin to make a change within our inmost beings. We have to separate ourselves from the pressures of society. We have to realize that there is something seriously wrong with trying to be superior. And, we have to realize that today. The world is a truly terrible place, but we have the chance to make it even the slightest bit better by simply focusing on being superior to our former selves.
Make a change. Be the change. And remember, "true nobility is being better than your former self."
