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Ancient China has a number of sayings about competition, such as, “seeking great honor results in no honor at all”. Theodore Isaac Rubin, a writer of both fiction and nonfiction, explains in his essay, “Competition and Happiness” competition seldom brings out the best and often brings out the worst in people. He argues that competition is a form of projection in which the development of self is abandoned to beat the next fellow. Rubin believes that, “competition is a residual of a primitive past, and it is not a genetic residual” (312). In the past, competition was necessary for people had to compete in order to survive. Even though, people were conditioned to compete in the past, it is not pertinent anymore as it became another aspect in the modern day. Rubin further states, “people brought up this way feel lost…because they exist to compete and they’ve lost their raison d’être in the new situation” (312) Learning to compete with others is taught by an individual’s family and the individual forgets why he/she is competing as they only focus on beating their fellow mates. Competition produces anxiety which can interfere with learning and disassociates with one’s own body. It is not instinctual because it is taught and it damages people and creates stress in their life. Competition teaches people to give their worst while as they only focus on what their fellow mate is doing. I agree with Rubin that “competition limit people’s ability to lead happy and satisfying lives”, for I am assured that competition is destructive to children's self-esteem, it interferes with learning, sabotages relationships, and isn't necessary to have a good time. First, human beings lose confidence and their self-esteem through competing with one anoth... ... middle of paper ... ...etition makes it difficult to regard others as potential friends or collaborators; even if one is not a rival today, one could be tomorrow. The first step to achieving of being happy and healthy is recognizing the value of competition is built on myths. Just because forcing children to try to outdo one another is counterproductive doesn't mean they can't keep track of how they're doing. There's no problem with comparing their achievements to an objective standard or to how they did yesterday or last year. But if the people value their children's intellectual development, they need to realize that turning learning into a race simply doesn't work. By definition, not everyone can win a contest. If one child wins, another cannot. This means that each child comes to regard others as obstacles to his or her own success and this is why competition is not good for people.
All things considered, competition can be either benevolent or unacceptable. Being competitive in most activities or events is not always appropriate, and in some cases, competition could bring up negative feelings if not everybody was treated the same or
In Theodore Isaac Rubin’s essay, “Competition and Happiness”, he summits about how in today’s society its always the battle eat or be eaten. Therefore our parents always tried to get us involved at an early age to help with our self-development, well being, and health. Since our culture has made us believe that competition brings out the best of us. Yet, it simultaneously brings out a stressful, isolating, and paranoid ambiance at a very young age. I agree with Rubin’s notion since the use of our time and energy is determined by competition and limits our happiness because it weakens our sense of identity.
“Students are being forced to play the game of “race to the top or get left behind”” (Etelson, 2015). The idea that success should be based on ability and talent of individuals is wrong because success should not be based on ability and talent of individuals. The pressure, the competitiveness, and the future all need to change before more kids go through an education system that is teaching them how to compete against fellow students rather than how to gain knowledge. It is time to level the playing
Lastly, in youth competitive sports you can learn how to win and lose politely, which is important to the feelings of your competitors. Even though teens can learn these skills in school and in their household, competitive sports provide another way for children to interact and experience how to use life skills in the real world. Another example from the article, “ Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at the Highschool Level,” it
To illustrate, Ashley Merryman, the author of the article “Losing is Good for You” states, “ However, when it comes to rewards, people argue that kids must be treated identically: everyone must always win. That is misguided. And there are negative outcomes. Not for just specific children, but for society as a whole.” This explains that when kids get trophies, they think that they are always going to win, no matter how poorly they did their job. This can cause major problems in the society, such as companies not improving. In addition, Ashley Merryman also states, “ Having studied recent increases in narcissism [having an excessive interest in oneself; an over inflated ego often due to parents’ overvaluation] and entitlement among college students, she [Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me] warns that when living rooms are filled with participation trophies, it’s part of a larger cultural message: to succeed, you just have to show up.” This shows that even young kids are starting to be egoistic, and that can stick with them their entire life. When kids will go into the real world, it would be too late to realize that winning is not important. As a result, narcissism increases in the kids and makes them
“Fan Jin Passes the Juren Examination” is a story written by Wu Jingxi, a failed scholar, that attempts to satirize the lofty ideals of the imperial examination. It tells the story of a fifty-year old man who has continually failed the examinations for thirty four years and has sought to pass the exams for all his life. Fan Jin exemplifies the struggle of every male in this era who has also devoted their lives in passing the examination in order to acquire an official title. This struggle is especially true for males coming from a humble background, like Fan Jin, and because the imperial examinations offer an opportunity of climbing up the steep and rigid social hierarchy of Chinese society, the mentality of bringing this glory to your family and yourself is romanticized. This glorification is with good reason too, because indeed the fruit of a scholar’s labor will taste so sweet. When Fan Jin passes the examinations, he is revered by his neighbours, villagers, and his whole family, including his father-in-law, Butcher Hu, who has always treated him with little respect. It is interesting to note that Butcher Hu changes his blunt attitude towards Fan Jin after learning that he passed. He went from treating Fan Jin like dirt to regarding him highly as “one of the stars in heaven” and hesitates to hit him unlike before. Other people around the village also show them their respect by offering him gifts. In conclusion, the story “Fan Jin Passes the Juren Examination” satirizes the struggle of pursuing scholars and the glorification of the rewards that come with passing the imperial
2. Identify situations that you have observed in which competition has actually interfered with people achieving a goal. Is competition emphasized in children? What recommendations would you make to parents regarding their child's participation in soccer, baseball, etc.?
Jealousy is an innate facet of humanity, an emotion universally felt during childhood. It is through this jealousy that we begin to resent the reality that we are given. In the article “Eat, Memory: Orange Crush,” Yiyun Li recalls how influential the western product “Tang” was during her childhood. Growing up, Li remembers a time where she was resentful of her lack of Tang, desiring the “Tangy” lifestyle which was symbolic of luxury and social status in China. Through the logos of Li’s father, Li’s appeal to pathos through her childhood experiences, and the disillusionment of Li’s utopian view of Tang, Li typifies the struggle a teenager undergoes as they grow up.
Shows how Confucius teaches individuals of both high and low birth to strive for success in their lifetime.
In Harrison, competition is looked at as a major cause of destruction. The handicaps are put in place to try to prevent the Dark Ages again by making sure nobody can compete with each other. The General shoots Harrison as an attempt to stop him from encouraging competition and destroying the system they put in place . Due to the extreme measures the government took, everyone attempts to take away the competition. An example of this is shown when Hazel’s encourages a stuttering news reporter by saying “at least he tried”. In today’s society, signs that competition is a major cause of destruction are beginning to show. One example is that some people believe the wrong person was chosen for president and are trying to prevent him from taking office. Today, people will go to extremes to please themselves. Cheating is a good example, seeing how some people will try to disable others to win. Competition is becoming less important, however. At some sports with younger kids, no trophies are given or, in other instances, they will reward everyone with a
There is a misconception that competition is bad, if a child can experience the thrill of winning and the disappointment of losing, they will be well equipped for the reality of life. Competition provides stimulation to achieve a goal; to have determination, to overcome challenges, to understand that hard work and commitment leads to a greater chance of success. Life is full of situations where there are winners and losers; getting a job; a sports game; not getting into a desired college. People need to learn how to cope with disappointment and then to look forward to the next opportunity to try again. Competition also teaches us to dig deep and find abilities we never knew we had. The pressure to win or succeed can often inspire more imaginative thinking and inspire us to develop additional
Confucius once said, "he who does not do well is less guilty than he who pushes too hard." People found that competitive sports are often physically straining and it is detrimental to proper emotional development. This blows away the misconception that competitive sports create a healthy and engaging atmosphere for kids. This and an overly strong obsession with winning create a toxic mix for the child’s wellbeing. People have begun to realize the world of competitive may be doing more harm than good for their children. Parents have also begun to notice that competitive sports often injure their children severely and also make the child feel left out, which in turn is detrimental to the child 's emotional health. Therefore, competitive sports
Healthy competition can drive people forward. Allowing a kid to doing what they want because they enjoy it can open them up socially by allowing them to reach out and teach others that don’t have that same niche. If we force a child to be overly competitive, this decreases the child’s ability to grow in other areas in life because they are too focused on being the best. If they don’t live up their standards of being the best, this will cause the child to be insecure about their abilities and they will constantly seek approval. Unhealthy competition can detrimental later on in life when trying to get into a great school, find a partner or in getting a job.
“Survival of the fittest” is a notion that I firmly advocate. Competition brings out the best in people, and I am a very competitive person. Competitiveness whether with one's self, or with others arouses the desire to succeed. My mother has taught me that competing with yourself is even better than competing with others because you struggle to become the best person you can be, without settling for exceeding the limitations of others.
Yes, it is to a certain extent. Competition is good for us as it challenges each individual. Without competition, there would be no standards and we would not know how to improve on areas we lack. In addition, we may not know where we stand, be it mentally, physically and academically. Different kinds of competition challenge us in different aspects and helps us to progress and move with times.