To continue our conversation from last week about Dewitt Jones, this week we are exploring more about how we can recognize what we are already blessed with in our own lives.
It seems to me that the competition among kids is much higher than when I was going through elementary school. These kids are SO scheduled that some of them have an activity scheduled for every night of the week and then tournaments on the weekends. When did eight-year-olds transition into having schedules like varsity athletes? With some sports I have heard that if kids don't start in elementary school there isn't a chance for them to make the high school teams. What?? I miss the good old days when you could join a sport as a sophomore to try it out, have fun with your friends, and gain the skills of being on a team. It is ingrained from kids at an early age that if you aren't the winner then you are the loser and no one likes the losers. So much can be gained from those moments without success but instead kids are being shamed because of their not-perfect performance.
These sorts of things also follow people into adulthood. We all know of a person who still carries with them the lost in the semifinal game of whichever sport in high school. For some, that was over 30 years ago! In the professional world we succumb to the "dog eat dog" mentality where if you aren't the one "doing the eating you will most certainly be "eaten". People become overly authoritarian and struggle to do what's best for the group if doing what's best for the individual will propel their career. It is a hard cycle to break and I am afraid that it is only going to get worse as these little competitive kids transition into the future executives of companies.
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