Survival of the most fittest.

I've been thinking a little more about my post from yesterday . . . about holding grudges, etc. Lend me your eyes . . . and your brain . . . at least the parts that involve visual cognition and reading comprehension. Often, it seems as though we have made life into a series of subconsiousness-engaging competitions. I.E. we want to prove that either:

• we are better than someone else; or
• someone else is worse than us

Examples . . . 1) On our way to work this morning, Kristy and I were discussing this very point. I was in the furthest left lane behind one vehicle and with some open space behind me. A guy was approaching me, pretty quickly, from behind . . . catching up to the traffic, kind of scenario. I'm about to get off at my exit, so I'm looking for an opening to start changing lanes, realizing that I have about one mile to do this. So I get over and guy flips me off and honks his horn at me. I still can't figure out what I did that ticked him off . . . and I've been trying. Just seems like he was in a hurry and I was the closest thing he had to blame for keeping him from getting to his destination on time. So he had to make me feel bad, so he could feel superior. It wasn't that he was late leaving, it was that traffic (i.e. me) was holding him up.

2) This blog (or any blog, really . . . see, I did it again: I had to make sure that I said that I'm not the only example of this . . . I had to at least level the playing field). Blogs, I realized with the help of my lovely wife, are very ego-centric. I get to write all I want about me, and demand that you read and comment on it, and you don't get to interupt me . . . I want to tell you about me and my life and what I can do because, gosh darn it, I KNOW that you really care about what I'm thinking: I'm just THAT important.

3) Church (aka Hatfields vs. McCoys): 'nuff said.

Competition isn't a bad thing . . . in general . . . I guess. Cooperation isn't either. A simple realization that we're not the central figure in this place we call the universe is also a fairly decent view to adopt.

Imagine what a difference it would make if we tried to prove to someone else that they are better than us . . . I wonder how long it would be before I blog that we don't focus enough of our attention inward.

Grace.