Competition is something that I've never enjoyed, in fact I've steered clear of sport in general simply because of the fact that people are so competitive about it. It just doesn't make sense to me to get upset with someone else over something as trivial as a board game, or a football match. In fact I don't really like being upset with other people at all.
And yet, in my circle of friends almost everyone is competitive and in Donovan's case, simply enjoys competition. To me, people tell themselves that competition is to give them something they can feel good about, but from what I've seen people just like to find a reason to lift themselves above other people. And that idea doesn't work for me.
You see, in competition a person is reduced to a moment in time. At that moment, everyone is equal and your past is disregarded and if you are unlucky enough to lose you are discarded and seen as a failure and outcast. But with anything in life, there is so much more than any moment in time, and trying to reduce someone to a single moment is absurd.
You see, being competitive isn't really a problem, and having a winner and a loser isn't a problem either, but people investing too much emotionally in the outcome of a game is a big problem. And in my experience, that is almost always the case. The other thing I hate about competition is a bad loser [yes Matthew, I'm talking about you]. For me, if you are going to play any game, there is a risk of losing, and if you lose don't take it out on everyone else. When people do that I just want to give them the finger, for me it's almost as bad as people who get into a bad mood and then take it out on everyone around them.
Perhaps I've only seen the bad side of competition, where people throw a tantrum when they don't get their way, and when they do win they put other people down. In my experience there is very little of the good type though.
So what is the good type then? Well being able to detach yourself emotionally is an important part, and being able to treat winning and losing the same way, is imperative however being able to walk away and say you had fun either way is what's most important for me. If you're not having fun why the hell are you competing?
Now the question is, does this side of competition actually exist? Have you ever seen it? Or is it just something that exists in my head? This is the way I treat my support of Chelsea, but is it the right way? What is your experience?
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ok so ive read your blog now richard. and ill post my comment on this specific blog.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting point of view on competiotion snd there are things that i both agree and disagree with.
I agree with the fact getting very upset with trivial intances of competition is abit silly.like rage quiting in a dota.
but because everyone is wired diffeferntly on an emotional level about competion i think its understandable that people do get upset at small things like this.
But on the other hand there is competion that people live there live by. i.e sport.
I think its cause competition is a very natural thing amoungst everyone. because contiously or subcontiously everyone strives to be the best at what they do. and this creates competition wether you want it or not. at the same time humans are literally emotion messes for the most part and if you could always control then competition or otherwise, that would be great. But this isnt the case.
also if emotion wasnt felt while watching a football game of playing a sport. the process would be fairly irrelevant.
eg. frank scores a goal, both you and i went mental. and justin was sitting in the bathroom. crying inside. this makes the intersity and enjoyment more fun for all.
so in conclusion. i think competion is always healthy. and being emotionally attached to what you are striving for in the competion is neccesary. if not for the most part unavoidable.
so therefor thats my point.
Don out
I understand what you are saying, but as I've said before, my problem isn't with competition, it's with the emotional attachment, as well as the weight society puts on one performance, that I object to.
ReplyDeleteEnjoying a competition isn't wrong, but not being able to walk away the same irrespective of whether you won or lost is a problem, and if people's view of you changes then that's a problem too.
well. you havent realy brought anything new to the blog table in your last point. pls respond with something new whilst taking my point into account. I.e the neccisity of the emotional attachment to either the wining or losing of said competion.
ReplyDeletebecause as i've said before. whether you like it or not. the emotion is there and without it, there would be no drive to compete.
don out
Well, I'm not entirely sure that emotional attachment is invariable within competition, because in my opinion emotional attachment is as a result of the amount weight you put on anything.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I love my cats, and I spend a lot of time with them by caring for them, feeding them and even talking about them and as a result I have put a lot of emotional weight on them in my life. If something were to happen to them I would be distraught.
At the same time, I have in the past had a dog, who I have fed and cared for but because I didn't put a lot emotional weight on having a dog, I actually didn't care when the dog had died.
Now see the cat situation as a competition with emotion, and the dog situation as a competition without competition. Sure, I put in more effort with my cats, but at the end of the day I engaged both situations with different emotional connections.
I believe that the same is true for competition, one can participate and do ones best but not be emotionally invested if you don't put as much emphasis on the outcome.
I see what you're saying, but as I said in my blog, the problem isn't the emotion, it's the way people deal with it, and how people see you after a performance.
So I don't entirely agree with what you are saying, but I do believe that it is something that is often a problem for people, ie not being able to control the emotional investment, and it is also something to consider.
Does this address your point?