My friend’s son was a playful child. He was full of fun and energy. He had boundless curiosity and loved music and the arts. He excelled at mathematics, science and sports.
So it came as a great surprise to all of us when he became uncommunicative and troubled. He hid in his room most of the time and refused to go to school.
After much checking, it became apparent that the competition in school had brought out the worst in his classmates. Their fierce desire to be the best had the opposite effect on them. As their aggression increased, so did jealousy, anger, and even violence. All this caused great misery to themselves and those around them.
We are all individuals. Each of us is gifted differently. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we recognized that we could all reach our full potential without trying to be better than everyone else? If we just try to overcome our weaknesses while we develop our talents, we could all come out as winners, and humility and tolerance can prevail. After all, by nature we thrive on kindness and generosity.
Let us accept each other for what we are. Then, there can be harmony – at last!
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