evolution

The Lawrence paper is my favorite place to find almost news. The part I really enjoy is the daily man on the street interviews because it is as close as the paper can get to what Lawrence considers reality. Today’s question “What are you looking forward to at the Fair?” The Douglas County Free Fair where primarily 4-Hers go to present their projects.

I bring this up because some lady went off about the evils of competition and even brought the election/George Bush bashing into her anti-competition speech. Americans have already taken shots at the Boy Scouts, careful 4-H you could be next. I was a 4-Her so let me take a minute here. The 4-H motto is “To make the best better.” It is a testament to self-improvement. One of the ways to show improvement is through judging, in this case of projects or skills one completes. It is primarily competition against one’s self.

Competition isn’t neccessarily bad, except when weird parents make it so (beating refs and such). Healthy competition will boost morale and pride in people. It can also be a motivating factor to improve one’s finish.

My final comment to this lady and to others who do not like competition is — are you screwed, because life is a competition. Everything from trying to get a date, a job, or going shopping is a competition. See George C. Scott’s monologue as “Patton”: “Americans love a winner, and will not tolerate a loser…”