Confessions of a child

A seven years old child had several questions to ask but he had a significant confession to make in that short conversation with me. It kept resonating in my heart for a while. 

When I go to school, I am made to participate in the drama, singing, sports, etc. Every time such an occasion arises, my teachers tell me that, 'I MUST WIN'. When we play in the court yard in the evenings with friends, every one wants to score the highest run. In fact, the game gets interrupted if some one is declared out as he would not like to hand over the bat to the other because he had not scored more than his friend. When we play scrabble at home, often I sense the pressure to make the longest word. When we go for an outing as a class, the teacher would say that, 'one who makes the best drawing of the nature scenes would get a prize'. In the Sunday school, it all about memory verse conversation or singing competition. We prepare for this in our Sunday classes. When we receive the progress card showing our grade in an examination, every one is keen to know who got the highest grade. 

Is competition the most important aspect of growing up. Is it so for older people also!

As I heard these comments of a child's observation, I could not but agree with him that adults are competition driven and we pass on this instinct to our children from very early age. The success driven culture is a phenomenon which is driving society today. The market driven economy is based on quality and competition. This has permeated to education, scientific pursuit, social context, etc. 

I was helpless as I did not have any tangible corrective proposal. I told him one experience of another child. He gave up his Christmas pocket money to buy a dress for his friend, whose parents are daily wage earners. He was dressed in an ordinary dress, and not a new one unlike his friends on Christmas day. When his friends heard his decision to forgo his Christmas gift, for the sake of his friend, they were moved that they decided to take the gifts they had prepared for reach other to the children's home, close by, to celebrate with the children in that home. Their parents offered to make a special lunch for the children.

It is necessary to find delight in pursuing the welfare of others. This is the only antidote to self driven competition and success pursuit.

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)