on being the best and happiness

Those of you who know me (all of you because why else would you be reading my blog) have probably heard my Pokemon rant:

"I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was!" Really? This is a kids' show and they're teaching kids that their happiness depends on becoming the best? Maybe there is some cathartic moment when Ash realizes that he doesn't need to be the best to feel complete and happy with himself. I don't know because I only made it to the Orange League episodes before outgrowing the TV show (I never outgrew the games though).

There is no way you are going to be the best at anything. There are just too many people in the world, and there's always always always someone better. Sure, there has to be one best person for any given category, and to him/her I say, congrats, you win the lottery. Does that mean the rest of us should just feel miserable about sucking?

Something I've realized lately is that being good at something makes me feel no more self-satisfied than when I sucked at the very same thing. It's the process of getting better, of learning and acquiring new skills and knowledge that is rewarding. It's part of human nature. To be happy, we keep having to acquire more stuff. In this case, the stuff is not material, its knowledge, and growth.

Imagine starting a new hobby that you really really enjoy: art, music, sports, whatever. If you happened across a genie that offered to bestow upon you mastery of that particular activity, would you take its offer? I think I'd turn it down. To me that's the equivalent of saying "here's an awesome new game, by the way, I finished it for you." (Note: I said hobby, my response would differ if my ability to make a living depended on this.) It's about the journey, not the destination.

So for all of you who are already super good at everything you care to do, screw you. I have a lot more fun ahead of me than you do.