The competitive spirit

 ^{My wish as usual  is for you to have a Happy Monday}

 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.

I never learned to foster a competitive spirit probably because of my early upbringing. My parents were farmers and before I fully understood what was happening I had my chores assigned. I also learned early that there was a price to pay for negligence. I simply learned that nature and the weather were not excuses for not getting things done. Endure what ever nature throws at you and in the end you will be rewarded. 

My parents eked out a living farming the hill side and rearing animals. Planting crops and rearing animals came with many unpredictable and uncontrollable factors. Crops were lost as a result of the natural elements and larceny and animals were also lost due to the same factors. Losses were taken as a part of life and plans were made base on expectations that the crops will produce and the animals will thrive if the necessary things are done. There was a abundance of food but scarce cash and whenever cash was on hand then maximum use was made of it. This accounted for a lot getting done with small amounts of cash.

One of the lessons I learned from farming was to endure the best that nature had to offer and to overcome. There was never the ideal conditions under which to work when you are a farmer. The most favorable condition to prepare for planting was when nature was at its meanest and the time was exceptionally dry. Rain and floods did not excuse chores not getting done and so when it rained you get wet, when it was dry you get burnt by the sun, hurricane damaged crops and the list goes on. when nature was at its harshest was the time to burst in a happy song as you work or whistle a happy melody.

The trick with farming was knowing when to plant the various crops and many times that was during the most unfavorable conditions. However, the seasons never change and the wisdom of preparing during unfavorable times always pay. There was always the risk of planting too earl or planting too late. The same principle applied to reaping because the farmer had to know when was the right time to to reap his crop. i know farmers who were off because they planted their crops out of season.

There was no need for farmers to compete because all planted essentially the same crops and all were subjected to the same weather conditions. All farmers did not reap in the same abundance because of the extras that some farmers were willing to put into caring and nurturing their crops. 

I grew up in Jamaica and one of the things that I was taught early was to limit the use of I and me in conversations. I it was often said is found in the middle of pride. Focusing on I and me often lead to bragging, an elevated sense of importance and the need to put down others in order to promote oneself. Proud persons sooner or later end up looking ridiculous.

It is not easy to write this while constantly referring to myself but in recent times I have to take note of persons whose spirit of competitiveness will not allow them to not be the one being shown appreciation. This has led to persons trying to put others down while singing their own praises. I have learned in life to go beyond what is necessary to help my fellow man. This is where I get my joy. I do not find it necessary that there is any need to talk about helping others because my payment is the joy I get from doing so. My task is to highlight the achievement of other persons and when necessary pretend that I know nothing and when necessary that I am ignorant.

There is a saying that even a fool when he keep silent is considered to be wise. There is no need to compete with anyone because if you do the things that you should be doing at the end of the race you will be among the winners at the finish line. It has become the norm to glory in personal achievement and not let anyone forget personal greatness.

This week, however,is a good time to highlight and focus on encouraging another person. The greatest things in life are the things which do not carry a price. This week is a good time to talk about and highlight others person and if possible during conversation not to use the words I, me or my.