“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”
I rather like that thought.
One of the things that impresses me about the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the near-constant attention to improvement. Paraphrasing Elder Boyd K. Packer from the April 2015 General Conference, to look to Christ as a Savior is to recognize that there is a disconnect between who we were once and the better people we are now - and that the Sacrifice of Christ severs the bond our former selves claim upon us, allowing us to rise unhindered to greater heights.
Returning to that Hemingway quote - One of the reasons I like this quote so much is that it indirectly infers where we ought to find the source of our self-worth. In Stephen Covey's book "7 Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers" (and contained within his father's more well-known book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People"), he sets forth three ways we can view our standing among our peers: 1) Win-Lose, 2) Lose-Lose, and 3) Win-Win. Win-Lose and Lose-Lose are simply phrased: "Between you and me, only one of us can be better, and that's going to be me. If it can't be me, I will ensure that it will not be you." It is seeking to be superior to our fellow man.
Win-Win is different. It is seeing the world as open opportunity for everyone to be successful, with my success being of no detriment to yours. It is seeking to be superior to your former self, and allowing all the opportunity to do the same.
The first two focus one's sense of self-worth on standing among peers. Essentially, if I'm not better than you, than I have no worth. If I am better than you, than you are of no worth. The last focuses it in a much more healthier, positive way: all that matters is if we are better than we were before.
I believe that if we make this a motto in our lives, we will stop uselessly worrying about where we are in comparison to others and start making meaningful progress in our own lives. Life will cease to be an endless competition for scraps and become a collaboration toward meaningful creations.
Carpe Diem.
This is a fantastic post! I love "all that matters is if we are better than we were before." I think that if we get our self worth from knowing we are a child of God, and that compared to Him, we are all "nothing", we can look at each other as equals and not worry about comparing ourselves to others.
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