In sport, there is a reason why there are rules to guide competition. For example doping is prohibited so that nobody has undue advantage over their competitors. Most importantly, it’s to ensure all winners achieve dignified success. Success born out of goodness gained from diligent effort over a period of time. Success born out of conscious competence that transitioned to unconscious competence due to repetition and mastery of ones game or craft. It is this kind of success that one can proudly celebrate and gain timeless joy from. It is sustainable success. There are rules to keep it this way because there is enough proof that it is possible.
There are people who believe the rules should be bent for them to succeed. In exams, they would wish pre-filled exams with answers are given to them. Others want to compete with an opponent who is sick or disadvantaged through dispossessing them of the basics of life like health, food, clothing etc. A character that prides in competing with one weakened only by the lack of basic privileges of life or abrogation of rules of the game is a coward and shouldn’t be honoured with the title competitor. Bending rules or using undue influence should not be wrongly labelled as creativity or being smart. Perhaps it’s why I despise people who get ahead by lying about their abilities and experiences or even the methods of their achievements just to get ahead in life. I am averse to bullying ones way through life. It doesn’t work. It is all vanity. Sadly, it shows on those who use it. The sparkle of dignified success evades their ‘achievements’ no matter how loudly they talk about them.
But where does this preference for shortcuts start? My take, upbringing. It’s worse in this day and age. Parents pestering house managers to do children’s homework so that children fetch good marks in school. Schools allowing children to compete in sport while wearing any gears without regulating to keep it uniform which makes certain parents want to buy that which would be costly but make their child more advantaged in the competition, so much the child knows it doesn’t have to put in effort because it has a magical shoe that can make it sprint faster in athletics. Others cheerfully watch their children win against each other in simple home plays by playing foul. There is more and more if you keep looking. Habits of using undue influence to win then form and the result is many adults who are not willing to go the long haul to get anything done in life. Adults who pride self in winning through shortcuts and romanticising it as “being smart” or woke. Adults who find gambling atrractive. Adults who then look on as the gap between the rich and poor widens. Adults who are comfortable with the trappings of capitalism. Adults who can’t negotiate because they were raised to believe that they can bully their way through life. The adults we deal with daily. Then we wonder if there can be peace? If there can be equality? If there can be anything sustainably good? We wonder why the successful of yesteryears are struggling today? We wonder why the Gucci belt wearer also has it not sparkling with the glamour we expect?
We have allowed rules to be broken from the tender years of upbringing. It is hard to expect they can be kept by adults raised as such.
I don’t know what anybody else needs but I think I need to strive to check if my success or triumphs at all times are still born out of fair competition or putting in all the work to earn them. I pray you also do the same. For soon it might be hard to find even one person with truly dignified success.
Koiti Emmily 