The Game of Life

 In all we do in life, there are winners and losers. From athletics to the workplace, people are in a constant competition with each other and themselves. There are many people who believe that the concept of winning and losing is bad for kids at a young age. These people argue children are learning terrible characteristic traits and are ruining things such as self-esteem. Alfie Kohn states in her blog that competition is terrible for self-esteem and tears children apart. They believe that winning only makes kids gloat and losing makes kids second-guess themselves and their abilities. The opposing side to competition claims that competition gives a rise to hostility because children only see their competitors as obstacles, which they must overcome to gain success. These people make a very strong point for why competition is bad for children, the benefits of competition, however, overshadow the negatives.

In the society we live in, life is a constant competition in everything we do. In many things, competition brings out the best work ethics and motivation in people. Whether it is at the work place or in the small tasks of life, knowing one can do a better job at a task fuels people to work hard and work to the best of their abilities. Competition in life is promoting people to want to better themselves. When there is no competition, it is human nature to settle for less than the best. With no one to push you, it is easy to get away with a lackadaisical performance and to be content with this poor performance. By competing or even working with another person, one is more likely to give their best effort.

Learning to lose is a very important lesson in life. As the Be Aggressive Sports Resource tells us, the earlier one learns to lose, the healthier their mental and emotional state will be later in life after a loss or rejection. Not getting a job after an interview or losing a sporting event is part of life. There are winners and losers in everything and at some point in everyone’s life they will be on both ends of the spectrum. It is much healthier and more beneficial to children if they learn to lose through things such as sporting events at a young age. Winning and losing as good sports is a lesson, which is carried out through one’s entire life.

The number one thing people miss when arguing about the downfalls of competition is that the real competition in life is against yourself, to be the best you can possibly be. Tee ball and soccer at a young age teach kids to work hard, and give everything you have in all aspects and endeavors of life. True success and victory in life is when one uses their natural abilities to their fullest extent. When people can accomplish this feat, they will be winning in the greatest game or competition, and this is the game of life.