Come March, April, May and the temperatures in Mumbai and other parts of India begin to soar upwards. This heat is further enhanced as exam fever spreads and the dreaded Class 10 and 12 Board Exams, and various competitive exams required to qualify for sought after courses and universities are all conducted during this period. The air is heavy with the vibrations of competition, stress, and anxiety as children and youth put aside all other interests to focus on exam prep.
Competition is a term widely used in the world of education as also in work environments. Children are goaded into participating in various competitions, appear for exams in various fields and above all compete with their peers to obtain higher grades, ranks or entries into better universities. This feeling becomes so innate in a person that we see a reflection of it in the corporate world and other workplaces.
In the short term, a competitive spirit clubbed with focus and drive does lead to achievement of goals - a trophy, a rank, a seat in a premium institute, a job promotion, that big business deal.
In the long term however, the cost we pay for this is through the sense of fear, insecurity, stress, and anxiety lingering in our minds, sometimes even coupled with a feeling of isolation as we are conditioned to see our peers as competitors and constantly work to outdo each other.
Before we know it, life becomes a race...
Curiosity to try new methods of work and learning now feels like a waste of time as it is safe to stick to the success formula. More importantly, in the pressure of surpassing others and staying ahead in the rat race we often lose out on cultivating true friendships and a sense of higher purpose and contribution to society. Many achievers have admitted to a sense of incompleteness and a life devoid of deep meaning.
The competitive spirit often stems from two needs - the need to prove yourself better than the rest and the scarcity mindset which makes one believe that opportunities are scarce. It often causes our vision to be myopic, narrow and divergent. However, we often forget that what the world today needs is a vision that is farsighted, inclusive and convergent to the needs of the people and the planet.
Our planet is hurting and so are its inhabitants. Changing climate, depleting resources, economic disparity, polarisation of religious groups, war and the shadow of a pandemic that still looms large, are just some of the issues we face. As a human race, now is not the time to compete against each other, but instead for coming together to collaborate with each other and collectively compete against the problems staring at us.
Can we then rekindle our curiosity and ask questions, make mistakes, pause and find answers through experimentation and trial? Can we find success in collaboration, in having common goals of a greener planet and a saner world for all? Can we look at the world through the eyes of compassion and build connections with our fellow beings and with nature and move together as a global community towards success for all?
We live in an abundant universe.
As long as we believe in an abundance mindset and carve out our own unique journey in life, there is opportunity and reward for everyone.
The choice is not between collaboration and success; rather collaboration can be the key to success for humankind, because winning is really meaningful only when life and love on earth triumphs.
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Another thought provoking piece Minaz. I must admit though your remarks about the pressure to do well with schooling runs in parallel to what Neera said about her years of study. I don’t think that when I was a student we were pressured by teachers or parents, for me I probably needed encouragement, that would possibly have worked. I am a slow learner, and with todays diagnosis I would probably be deemed to have attention deficit deficiency, something I am not convinced about, I was lazy. But as to the slow learning, I do need to read and re-read to get the full concept of something, and yet this morning, who would believe it, but I got all of the puzzles out in record time on the New York Times site.yay!
I recently watched the movie 12th Fail. This movie and your post reminded me of those dreaded years when getting good marks in the exams was the only aim in life. The heart ache that followed when I didn't get what was expected of me stayed with me for years. Great topic and great post.