TO COMPARE IS TO DESPAIR
“If you want to feel inferior, look at someone above you. If you want to feel superior, look at someone beneath you.” – Walt King
Susie’s dad was a wise man. He grew up in the Great Depression. He rode the rails looking for work. He lived in a fox hole for 78 days in the South Pacific. Walt had exceptional EQ (emotional intelligence).
Walt loved the saying “I used to complain about having no shoes until I saw a boy with no feet.”
When you compare, you always lose. If you think you’re better than others, you run the risk of being arrogant.
When you think others are better than you, you run the risk of failure because you feel inferior.
Comparison behavior is learned at an early age.
Proud parents compare whose kid talks, potties, and has the first tooth.
Which kid is the fastest learner, tallest, cutest, and on and on.
Parents, coaches, and teachers high on the EQ scale don’t compare people.
Compare is to despair because it demeans people. Coaches use it to motivate. Mean people use it to hurt and berate people. People do it to make themselves feel better about themselves.
In USA Today I read about Robert Kraft seeing Archie Manning, father of Peyton and Eli.
Mr. Kraft gives us a perfect example of poor emotional intelligence. He said “You are the father of two sons winning two Super Bowls. My son won four Super Bowls.”
Does this comparison elevate anyone or does it diminish anyone? Clearly, this is proof that “to compare is to despair.”
As always, I turn to the Scriptures for ultimate and final truth. Each human is wonderfully and uniquely created. We are His workmanship. Fulfillment comes when we live out the miracle He has placed in each of our lives. We are one of a kind. There is no need to compare.
