The Folly of Overcompetitiveness and the Wisdom of Humility
In the TV show “The Simpsons,” there’s a quote that goes, “Dear, if you are too competitive, you will never be happy.” The greatest foolishness a person can have is to be overly competitive. Those with an excessive competitive spirit often become irritable and easily angered, and they may feel the need to assert themselves in everything. Unable to accept failure, they become increasingly prone to making grandiose claims, and they develop a penchant for nitpicking and fault-finding. Such individuals not only struggle in their relationships with others but also exhaust themselves, leading to increased suffering and fatigue. Thus, these individuals are truly the most foolish.
Good Relationships Are Relaxed
There was a question on the internet: What is a sign of a person’s maturity? A highly praised response was: “Not displaying all emotions on one’s face; all joys and sorrows are contained within one’s heart, and passersby can only see the surface smoke.” Indeed, in any good relationship, and in the case of any healthy and happy person, there is an inner sense of relaxation and emotional calm. Such people usually become less inclined to interfere in others’ affairs or to preach to others. Instead, they focus on improving themselves, avoiding being easily influenced by others, and refusing to be dragged down by them. True maturity lies in being able to manage one’s relationship with oneself and with others. This way, one can get along with oneself and with others, and even, when necessary, treat others kindly, understand them, tolerate them, and accommodate them.
It is well said that good relationships stem from one person’s tolerance and accommodation and the other person’s restraint. As a result, one will increasingly feel that it is unnecessary to compete with others or to be overly competitive. In fact, it can be said that the more a person enjoys competing with others, the more difficult their life will become. They will inevitably find themselves at odds with others in real life, constantly arguing and attacking others. Only by showing enough respect for others, understanding them, or even ignoring them, and by sincerely treating each other, can everyone live in peace, making life more comfortable and enjoyable.
The Lower the Level, the More Competitive
As the saying goes, “Pitiable people are often detestable,” often because their understanding is too basic and their thinking too outdated. Consequently, they may offend those around them in pursuit of trivial gains. Due to their narrow-mindedness, when faced with problems, especially conflicts and contradictions with others, they will not discuss facts or logic. Instead, they will argue for the sake of arguing, striving for verbal advantage, satisfying their vanity, and resorting to all means to ridicule, attack, and even harm others.
The more impoverished a person’s knowledge, the more absolute their beliefs become, to the point that they cannot tolerate different viewpoints or thoughts. For them, anyone with opposing or contradictory views becomes intolerable, leading to constant denial and even confrontation. The result is either parting ways or harboring resentment, eventually leading to a hostile relationship. Life is short, and it is better to avoid wasting precious time and energy on being overly competitive with others. It is better to be low-key, choose solitude, quietly bide one’s time, and, over time, create opportunities and accumulate experience. Ultimately, those who are more competitive are of a lower rank and will lead increasingly difficult and passive lives.
The Greatest Folly of All Is Being Overly Competitive
In “Han Feizi,” it is said, “Placed in a cage with monkeys, one becomes like a pig, and thus one’s position does not change, showing no real ability.”
Undoubtedly, overly competitive individuals only expose their own ignorance, shallowness, narrow-mindedness, and incompetence. Such people will inevitably offend those around them, becoming increasingly arrogant and passive. Maintain your kindness, retain your humility, be sufficiently low-key, and have a sense of boundaries.
In the end, as Fang Xiaoru said, “Those who fear goodness must have self-correction, speech regulation, and action restraint. Even if they occasionally overstep, they won’t deviate greatly.” Only in this way can you avoid being overly competitive with others in real life, not allowing yourself to be constantly at odds with others. Instead, distance yourself from those who love to argue, preach, and interfere, learn to show weakness, remain humble, quietly build your own skills, and ultimately lead a better life through your own efforts.
