Is comparing yourself to others good?
Seriously?
It feels like a no-brainer, doesn't it?
A girl that never feels skinny or pretty enough has trouble comparing herself to some girl on a magazine cover that doesn't actually look like that without the air brushing, plastic surgery and half pound of makeup.
A guy that makes $4/hour has trouble comparing himself to Bill Gates, Donald Trump or Bob Saget.
Someone who lives in stereotype paranoia is comparing my last two examples and wondering why I chose the girl for the physical comparison issues and the guy to financial. Fine. I'm probably way off with that.
So comparison is bad, right?
What if I'm frustrated that I only make $4/hour, but then I think about all the people who make $3/hour doing manual labor? What if I think about all the people who are born with physical or mental disabilities, without a dad or live in a rough situation... and it helps me to keep a healthy perspective on my lot in life? I've got it pretty good...that's where I'm going with this.
Can we use comparisons to help us to appreciate all of the good things in our life? Is that good to do?
It's hard for me to compare my blog to Steve Fuller's. On the one hand, he talks about a lot of interesting stuff...but then I remember that he likes Jim Rome. So should I envy his blog, or feel better about my brain enjoying dialog that doesn't involve the words, "War goes out to D Bus - props to the pimp in the box - bang your monkey - I'm out!"
It can create envy. It also can give us perspective. Often the perspective is a bad one. Everyone feels like everyone is "basically a good person" and that tends to lend itself to overcrowded prisons, and a society that just keeps sinking lower and lower. If everyone gets by with the, "well he's no Hitler" or "at least he's not killing anybody" - well that doesn't really help.
Envy - Healthy perspective?
i feel like it destroys relationships and it hurts my heart when i see it happening
ReplyDeleteThe difference between you and steve is... well, thanks for not being as verbose. :)
ReplyDeletejust thank you for being you Murph. that's all you can do, despite what anyone says or thinks. You already know how unique you have been made to be. Thank goodness for that. whether it means being more or less verbose, you are just you...
ReplyDeletecheers mate,
E
comparison trap, moral relativitism, I can jump 4 feet in the air so I am better than the guy who can only jump 3 feet, but we both still can't touch the sky, which is the standard.
ReplyDelete