For the past couple of weeks, people around the
world have been watching the 2016 Summer Olympics. Even if we don’t watch the actual games, we’re
bombarded with news articles and social media posts praising all the record
breakers and medal winners. We admire
the athletes’ competitive spirit, and root for our favorites (or our country)
to win, win, win.
That drive to be the best, the fastest, the
most, the everythingest carries over
into other aspects of life, and that’s not always a good thing. It’s not just about being the best we can
be, it’s about being better than someone else (or everyone else) – surpassing the Joneses, so to speak. While
some simply take this inspiration and strive to do better, far too many
minimize other people’s accomplishments in order to make themselves feel
superior. When taken too far, this can
give the impression that whatever we do in life, if we’re not The Best, it’s not good enough. That we’re
not good enough. And it completely
negates the value of our effort, dedication, and accomplishment.
Oddly enough, there seems to be a similar competitiveness
when it comes to bad things, as well.
Far too often when we are dealing with a difficult or challenging
situation, instead of simply offering sympathy, people feel the need to state
that their own crises are worse (whether that’s actually true or not).
Oh, you sprained your ankle? I broke my toe last year – now that was painful.
Oh, you lost your job? I didn’t get that promotion I was hoping for –
it’s so unfair.
Oh, you’re getting divorced? I still haven’t met anyone on match.com.
By suggesting that their suffering is worse than our
suffering, what they are really doing is shutting down the conversation,
preventing us from complaining, venting, or just talking about our problem.
