Being perfect is hard. In fact it is nigh impossible but students at BYU and young people everywhere have a problem with trying to be perfect. This attitude of perfection is sweeping through young people due largely to today's society. Our culture today breeds this perfectionist attitude like fly larvae. Standardized testing, public schools, grades, magazines, new media, TV, international relations, job markets, and so on have put competition, success, and achievement at the forefront of young peoples minds. The pressure now days put on young people to do well is enormous and while this is good at times to get us motivated and off the coach it can also do some harm. All the comparing that is done between young people is bad enough but it is only compounded by the fact that everyone is connected via Internet, Facebook, cellphones, you name it creating a huge pool of people to be compared to. Not to mention that this huge pool of people is increasingly getting more accomplished and raising the standard everyday.
We all just need to take a step back from all the hustle and bustle to be the best and have confidence in our abilities now. I'm not saying to quit improving oneself but don't let your self confidence be contingent upon being better than somebody else. Be a better person for the sake of just being a better you. Your shadow is your best competitor.
I love that you brought this up! I completely agree that this is an issue at BYU and other prestigious schools. I don't, however, think this is an issue across the board. The number that try their best are outnumbered by those that don't care. Those involved in high-pressure scholastic situations should realize how brilliant they are to have reached that point!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you there, we compare ourselves wayyy too much. I feel like this competition and comparison is a byproduct of western ideology and philosophy. We are all so obsessed with individualism and proving to the world that we are important, that we feel the need to compare ourselves to others as a standard.
ReplyDeleteOooh. That's a good line. "Your shadow is your best competitor." Good observations, Alex! It's a hard tendency to resist, and I think it's directly correlated with the problems Kamden and Brian mentioned. The world we live in is a bit polarizing - either people crash from perfectionism or never start because of apathy.
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