Of the very many predicaments we
go through, and of the numerous things that face us, only very few actually
matter; only a handful would ever count. For instance, in this world so much in
want and in need of a great many kindness, it wouldn’t matter how much wealth
one has; what matters is how often and how cheerfully one gives. We don’t heal
the world, as Michael Jackson would sing, by having but by giving. Again it
would indeed matter little and mean nothing if one has fallen a thousand times
in life; what does matter, and what means a lot is how often we rise from those
falls and stand; For one doesn’t really stand until they have learnt from their
mistakes and what pulled them down in the first place. One doesn’t win until
they are standing on their feet. In the fight of life, it would never matter how
many enemies you vanquish or overcome or conquer; what matters is the victory
over the self. No one is truly a hero until they have the self under control. I
could go on and on to count and recount the list of the things that do not
matter. However, for the purpose of this article, one stands out among others:
Finishing First vs Finishing well. The phrase cur curre bene, sed praeter viam – well have thou run, but off the
track – have been true for a great many races in which man is involved. Sometimes
the phrase, “slow and steady wins the race” is true, not because the slow one
covers more grounds than the faster one, but because consistency makes great
winners, and separates them from perpetual losers. The act of running well is
not solely dependent on how fast one runs, but also how steady, and how by the
rules one glides through the hurdles before them – one such rule is maintaining one’s track or lane.
Competition has come to be a motivating
factor for many people to do well, and put in their best. But this is bad news,
because many reasons abound why competition has, instead of helping build us up
as a whole, is actually shredding us into pieces. People are created
differently and with different capabilities. It is true that anyone could do
anything, but the orientation one receives from their immediate surroundings
while they grow up counts so much, and goes on to help determine what they
become later in life. We definitely do not receive the same orientation, and so
will never be equipped in equal strengths – Some will definitely have the upper hand. So then,
when we come up against those with the upper hand in a competition, and those
who have put virtually the same or even greater amount of work as/than us, no
magic will sway the victory towards us. We are oriented differently, and we should
learn to appreciate and encourage others who are better at what they do. We too
can be better in what we do; in what we
are well suited for.
Competition creates unwanted
foes, even for a moment. Enemies are not good for us; and when we always play
or fight to defeat the opponent, there comes a time when the opponent turns
into an enemy – because they too want what we want. There also is a tendency
for those who lose out in competitions to lose hope and give up. Despair is
never a trait one should associate with. When you put the fish in a race with
the antelope, it would spend the rest of its life there after believing that it
is useless. The negative energy one puts into trying to come out on top of
every other person could be utilised into something similar, but far more
rewarding and praiseworthy.
THE ONLY OPPONENT THAT MATTERS
“When we compare ourselves with others, we may look pretty good to us;
but when we compare us with the person we are meant to be, we could as well
exclaim like the Tax-collector” – Stan Chukwube C.S.Sp
Those words could tell us what we
need to know about the battles that matter. Never in the Bible has there been a
mention about getting to heaven first, or being the first person to pass
through the narrow gate. In other words, the first person to hit the target
ideally gets no extra reward. The reward for a good and ideal race is always at
the finish line – there the wreath awaits as many who make it. The race we run
in run life is not a race against any other opponent; neither is it a race to
prove a faster runner. Forget the system of the world, and concentrate on the
opponent that matters. That opponent is the self. The self, the ideal self is
our real motivator towards success. The person one is meant to be is the only
yardstick to measuring success; and so, the closer they are to their ideal
selves, the closer they are to success. I saw a video of a man in a race who
defied pains, and shame, and despair to get to the finish line.
Derek Reymond,
one of the contestants for the gold medal in a 400m race in the 1992 Olympics
tore his hamstring on the course of that race. He went down in pain, and then
got up amidst the pains in his leg, and continued; even though he knew he was
never gonna get the gold, or silver or bronze. He hobbled along while seeing
off discouragements from people, even his father, to continue. Well, in pains,
and in tears, he managed to make it to the finish line – though with the aid of
his father – when every other runner was done. He got a standing ovation from
all, but he gave the world a bigger lesson: it is not against others that we
run life’s race. It’s against the self. We can only run with others, but never
against them. When we run with them, they could help us when we fall; but if we
run against them, we run the risk of being left alone on the sands of time. Life’s
race is a personal one, and it does not matter how fast or how slow one reaches
their target. It is the self we should conquer, not rivals. That way the good
things that come to others may well extend and get to us.
PEACE!
