Competition and living the American dream

What role does competition play in our American way of life? Without it, we sink into hopeless mediocrity.

Last week I listened to a news story about a school that had 30 valedictorians in it's graduating class. I decided to look up the dictionary definition of "valedictorian".

Valedictorian: a student, usually the one ranking highest academically in a school graduating class who delivers the valedictory at the commencement exercises.

Note the first two words of the definition! A student. That would be ONE student who had earned the right to carry the title of valedictorian. A right earned with years of consistent hard work. So what is the problem with having 30 valedictorians? The theory is to make everyone a winner. The truth is you are just making everyone mediocre.

Competition: the act of competing; rivalry for supremacy, a prize, etc.:

Competition is what made the US the greatest nation on earth. Unfortunately we are seeing the systematic dismantling of competitive environments in lieu of making everyone "feel good". We start with our children and the games they play. Schools are banning any type of elimination games. There are no more tryouts for sports. Let everyone have a chance to play. I speak as a parent who attended my son's little league games and watched the second base player sitting on the bag with their glove in their lap while the right fielder chased butterflies.

OK, so I'm one of those competitive parents who thinks the purpose of playing a sport is to actually win! I confess it's true. So why shouldn't every child have the right to play instead of having to earn that right? Simple, by allowing everyone to have the same opportunity whether they earn it or not we are preparing them for failure in the real world. My son is seeking employment after being laid off. One job he applied for had 1,000 applicants for only one position. Do we require that employer to hire the first 500 so they will feel better about themselves?

I would suggest that many of those little leaguers that sit on the bag or chase butterflies in the outfield really don't want to be there. They are there because mom and dad want to live vicariously through their children. If a child doesn't want to be on the ball field then we, as parents, should encourage them to pursue their own dreams, not ours. I suppose some would argue that they don't know until they try. I actually would agree with that. That's why, in my younger days, we had tryouts. So what if they really want to play but don't make the cut? Then we are preparing them for real life. If they truly want to play they will learn to practice and improve so they can make the cut next year.

We are training the desire for excellence out of our children if we allow them to participate in what they have not earned. Wow, that sounds harsh even to me as I write it. Fact is, though, it's how the world works. The more we lower the standards for our children (and adults) the more we doom them to a life of mediocrity. We need to teach our children to set goals and work for those goals. Life is not the art of getting safely from birth to the grave.

My prayer for America is that we would turn back to our desire to be the best at what we do. To learn, to grow, to dream and to take risks to achieve those dreams. If we seek only safety and demonize risk then we are participating in the demise of the American dream.