Roses are red, violets are blue. Everyone is great, so are you...

about unhealthy comparisons.

The acknowledgement of greatness in others comes with a lot of pain. Piercing pain. A pain that is capable of ruffling your deep seated feathers of complacency. You might picture yourself as the king of your forest, until you realize that there are other lions out there roaring louder. You had been too busy basking in your own magnificence that the roars were kept shielded from you.

 But what do you do when these roars finally reach your ears that were wont to hear only praises? A wave of envy is but natural. If it proceeds to a moment of reflection followed by a sincere appreciation of the other person’s accomplishments, you are still treading in safe waters. 

Most people resort to wallowing in the streams of self-pity. All of a sudden you see your shadow being reduced from a lion’s to that of a tiny louse. All your accomplishments pale in significance when vied with that of your now fierce competitor. Negative emotions get the better of you and you now find yourself breathing hatred against this person who has not done anything against you personally. That my dear friend, is self-deprecation without valid reasons.

Comparisons are fairly regular and we sometimes engage in it inadvertently. But grave are the consequences of the same. While there is no standardized scale to measure greatness, it would suffice to know that each one of us is great in unique ways. This is because by living completely individualized lives we are playing different games on different playgrounds. That by extension means, the rules of the game varies from individual to individual. How then, is it fair to proclaim one as the winner and thereby the greater person?

Another source of consolation lies in the fact that not all the successful people in the world had had to go through the same obstacles that you would have probably bruised yourself with. Chances are, if they be allowed to fend off with your share of troubles history would have been written in your favour!

It is all a matter of chance. So redeem your chance to spell greatness in your own unique way. Next time you come across someone fit enough to be deemed great, acknowledge it with satisfaction. The satisfaction that someone out there is poring over your accomplishments and is feeling awestruck just as you are feeling over another’s. 

 It is the cycle. The cycle of life.