By Most Rev. Lumen Monteiro, CSC, D.D, Bishop of Agartala —
A story that Ravi Kumar shares helps understand the unhealthy cycle of competition: One day as I was jogging in the morning I noticed a person about half a km ahead. I could guess he was running a little slower than me and that made me feel good, I said to myself I will try catch up with him. So I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 feet behind him, so I really picked up the pace and pushed myself. I was determined to catch up with him.
Finally, I did! I caught up and passed him. Inwardly I felt very good. “I beat him”. Of course, he didn’t even know we were racing.
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After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that ‘I had missed my turn to my house’. In fact I realized that I had missed so many other things — I had missed the focus on my inner peace, I missed to see the beauty of greenery around, I missed to do my inner namasmaran, and in the needless hurry stumbled and slipped twice or thrice and might have hit the footpath and broken a limb.
It then dawned on me, isn’t that what happens in life when we focus on competing with co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are more successful or more important and in the bargain miss on our happiness within our own surroundings? We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths to our given destination.
The problem with unhealthy competition is that it’s a never-ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you, someone with a better job, nicer car, more money in the bank, more education, a prettier wife, a more handsome husband, better-behaved children, better circumstances, and so on. But one important realization is that you can be the best that you can be, when you are not competing with anyone. Some people are insecure because they pay too much attention to what others are, where others are going, wearing, driving, and so on.
Take whatever you have, like your height, your weight or your personality. Accept it and realize that you are blessed. Comparison and Competition is the thief of JOY. It kills the Joy of living your own life. So, run your own race that leads to a peaceful, happy, and steady life.
This article is carried with permission from CBCI