Comparison
Let's start with a cliché quote:
“Comparison is the thief of joy.” – Theodore Roosevelt
Here’s another quote to ponder:
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Point being, the idea of comparison isn’t particularly novel. It’s been pondered for centuries, and yet it’s still something we grapple with today. But why do we do what we do? Why do we compare ourselves with other people despite knowing the potentially harmful effects on the mind? Why do we look at others who are more successful knowing that it’s going to hurt us or make us feel inadequate?
Rationale
I don’t know why people compare themselves to others. Maybe, we want people who we can look up to. People we consider role models or idols. Sometimes, looking up to people who are better than us can help us improve accordingly. Whether it’s studying games played by chess grandmasters or more generally, just “learning from the best”, it can be very useful to look to others for guidance or inspiration. However, comparison at times can be a sweet-tasting poison, so it can easily go the wrong way. Comparing yourself against your peers is completely different, and it can easily turn into a problem.
When people compare themselves with others, they often focus on a very specific aspect of said person, their accomplishments, their qualities, or even things like money or fame. However, the context, growing up and living in different environments, meeting different people, and having access to different opportunities, is often completely ignored. When people are compared in a vacuum, it is inherently unfair and extremely difficult to make an accurate judgement.
Reassurance
It only seems natural that we’d compare ourselves with others. It gives us a sense of pride knowing that we are doing better than some people. But the inherent bias and inaccuracy in such comparisons is still unfortunate, and it only worsens the feelings of incompetence and envy in some cases. The only truly fair comparison is with yourself, to see how much you’ve changed as the time flies by. Then, instead of a source of negativity and pessimism, we can use comparison as a source of inspiration and reflection. It doesn’t make sense to compare yourself with other people because even if you’re the same age, you can be in very different stages of your respective journeys. And plus,
“It is nonsensical to mimic someone else and be mediocre when you can do your own thing and be exceptional” – James Lee
Life Update!
Yes, the Common App is now open. Yes, college application deadlines are looming, seeming closer than ever. But that’s fine, I’ll deal with it all once I return home. I’m extremely tired, and it’d be such a shame to waste the last week here worrying about things I can do months in the future.
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