Best

Measuring sticks are useful, but don't account for everything. Lately, I have been hearing people talk about being the best. The first, was an immigrant in the food industry, explaining how he wanted to come to the USA and prove he is the best chef. The second, was a teacher talking about teaching students to be their best. The third, was generic sayings about being your best self and being the best in the business. I couldn't help but think, what is this obsession with being the best.

Then I checked myself by thinking of F1 racing and other sports. There needs to be the best, to win. Having the best doctor in a complicated specific surgery may be the difference between life or death. Clearly there are times when being the best should happen, and others when it should be less important. It got me wondering if the problem for me is more with the kinds of individuals with this mentality, to always be the best. The competative nature.

I have never been very competitive. I like to joke as if I am at times, but when it comes down to it, I am not at all competative. In fact, as a person with anxiety and at times known to faint from being nervous, I have spent most my life trying not to be the best. This is not to say I don't try or don't like to learn to my fullest potential. Not being the best always seemed to allow for more; More fun, more growth, more anonymity. The best always seemed constricting. Is it possible to be the best at not being the best? I also find that if someone I love is really good at something, I don't want to out do them. Id prefer to work with them, but let them have their thing. People may not be the best at something outside of a specific group, but someone can be the best to someone else. For me it was an appreciation of my moms sewing tips that brought me to her level faster than she was able to. Her tips from years of teaching herself, helped me. Her mom, disliked sewing. In my eyes she was the best. Most impressive. I could do what she did, but I wanted her to always be better.

The best is so easily loved and liked. There are some individuals that are so difficult, but still very much loved or accepted in a field of work or study because they are the best. The best seems like a challenging measuring stick to use, one where the measurements are constantly changing. So much so, no measurement can be trusted. So why and where did this obsession with the best come from?

In ancient times, survival most likely fueled this concept and allowed competative nature to be an important motivator. This lead to leadership and status. Those who were stronger, smarter, most resourceful or the "best" for the times. The middle ages emphasized the divine. Religious and pious individuals were divinely ordained and righteous. Chosen ones, helping humanity. Romans believed in 'virtus'. It included the concept of excellence. Romans also had ideas about beauty relating to excellence. Renaissance lead towards humanism and individualism. Human achievements began to take the stage. It progressed from here. The best is a concept tied to progress. Inventors and critical thinkers are the best because they progress humanity in a given time period. At this point the concept of the best seems critical to our existence and progress. A necessary evil or good.

However, could the concept of "Best" be becoming outdated? I would argue it hinders the population instead of progressing it. An obsession with the best keeps us from our potential of being the best. There are too many factors: start in life, family, environment, income, health, life events, education, friends, etc. The true best, the ones it comes naturally to, don't have time or energy to care about being the best. It's hard work. It's all of us who are not, who have grand ideas and dreams of being the best. And why? Because the best, in today's world, equals more recognition meaning more money, and more power. That, we all probably need and want. Money and power buys a better life for one, who can then choose to help society or a themselves and family. In a population with so many bests, so many talented  achievers, so many entertainers, so many measurements, it forms a negative competition for yourself and others. It seems opposite to progress. But! how can I think this and not be a socialist I began to think. Around this time, my dog walked in. I looked at her cute face, walked to her, kissed her nose and told her "you are the best dog for me". I meant it as the ultimate compliment for how much I love her. Ultimately it is irrelevant because I don't know every dog in the world and who cares. There was that word "Best" being highlighted again.

The truth is, we need people to want to be the best. We need people to actually be the best. We even need people to think they are the best (maybe even unrealistically). Maybe the concept of "BEST" will never disappear. Maybe it exists because we all need and want it to. Maybe we are more saying, we want special things to exist in the world. Special gets us through.