Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Competitive Nature

It's funny when we hear kids talk about simple stuff. Here's an example of a conversation that I sometimes hear in the daycare (just an example):

X: "I invited 10 people to my birthday party."
Y: "Really? I invited 18 people."
Z: "Oh yeah? I invited TWENTY people!"
U: "I invited A HUNDRED people!"
P: "I had a hundred and FIVE guests!"
X: "I had A THOUSAND!" ---> notice that this is the first kid that started the whole thing.

Then it would keep going on and on and on if one of us hadn't stopped them by saying something like: "Okay, enough competition! Now back to...(whatever it is they were doing before)"



When did we learn to be so competitive? Is it ingrained or did we learn it from adults (from our interaction with them or from their interaction with others)?

I wouldn't really categorized myself as a very competitive person. I think I have just a little competitive side, but not too much. I mostly felt more competitive when I was still at school (usually about grades), but now I'd love to think of competing with myself - trying to be an even better version of me, because we all learn at different paces and we all learn differently 'coz life throws us different challenges/problems.

What do you think, people?

8 comments:

  1. Hi Amel,

    Competitiveness is inherent to human nature; only some parents foster it in their offspring, while others don't (deviating this natural feature to other types of features).

    But it is so funny to watch them competing in this childish way *nodding*.

    Cheers

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  2. Oh, that's quite typical children's behavoir. It's funny all kids around the world do/say the same things!

    Our priorities change when we grow older and become wiser and more matured. We have come to a stage where we find it silly to compete with the Jones all the time. Instead, we rather spend energy bettering ourselves.

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  3. Hahaha..those kids were funny! :D
    Yes, actually it's not just kiddies that can be very competitive. I believe adults are also competitive in some degree.
    For example: there was one day when I was among the Indo women here. Guess what they were talking about? It was mainly about how rich their husbands are, who is more (higher) educated among them, and who is the best cook among them! What the..!!

    One 'good' example, one lady said,"Mun mieheni AINA ostaa mulle timanttikorut JOKA PÄIVÄ!" etc...etc..) --> believe me, Amel, it really happened like that! :o
    Insane! For me, that kind of competitiveness is already disgusting, though. :o

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  4. Max: THANKS for sharing your POV. Yeah, it's funny to watch them 'coz they're kids...it's not so funny anymore when adults do it.

    Blur Ting: Ahhhh...global "phenomenon" it is then he he...Competing with others become so tiring after a while 'coz there're always taller mountains out there.

    Henny: HUH?!?!?!?! Indo women? Maybe they still have Indo mindset, 'coz I can see it happening in Indo. Tsk tsk tsk...Yeah, I understand why it disgusts you. I would feel reluctant hearing about that kind of talk over and over and over again.

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  5. Yes, obviously they do still have that mindset.
    I know two Indo women (both are doing PhD in Fin) who have ever said things like this: as far they both know, they're the most descent Indo woman that live in Fin, while the rest are just losers and hookers. What the!!!! x(
    Oh, well..if I tell you more about it, it will be a very long long story, which I believe may disgust you as well. :o So, better to stop here. ;)

    As for my self, I was very competitive when I was a freshman till sophomore at the college. Now, I'm just competitive with hubby in terms of weight loss as both of us are overweight. :p

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  6. Henny: ?!?!?!?!?! Oh dear...I'm sad to hear that those two women think that way, esp. there's some truth about it...esp. if other people from different nations think that Indo women who live in Fin are like that. Ugh...one reason I felt a "mental burden" when I moved here was that I wanted to be a good Indo "specimen" 'coz I may be the first Indo woman who's ever lived in Sodankylä.

    Competing in weight loss is good as long as you're not too hard on yourself and follow a proper diet and exercise regime. :-D

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  7. Cute! I noticed that now my niece who'll turn 6 in just few weeks time always have this kind of conversations. My nephews were also like that and now when they are much older (9-11+), they always want to win. I'm not sure about other kids, but that's what I observe. :-)

    I think I'm a competitive person especially at work. I always want to understand the job I am doing rather than just follow or do it because it has to be done. Am I making sense to you? He he... I hope so. :-D

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  8. CMG: Well, wanting to understand the job doesn't mean you're competitive with other people in the same way like what the kids do. You just want to be the best that you can be and we all should do that. :-)))

    And THANKS for sharing about your niece and nephews he he he...I guess it's just like what Blur Ting says then...kids around the globe are like that and then hopefully when we grow older we'll learn better he he he...

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