Competition and Happiness by Theodore Rubin Free Essay Example, 1750 words

According to Rubin, the central point of focus in one s life during a competition is fundamentally from without one s self. It is our competition and not us and our exact needs that determine how we spend our energy and time. As a result, our sense of personality gets weakened, and to make up for this ever-rising feeling of worthlessness and susceptibility we continue competing, inculcating a self-depleting cycle (Rubin 1). After enough depletion has occurred to rule out any possibility of more successful competition, one is hit by the feeling of hopelessness and futility, and then the individual s life appears purposeless. Rubin goes ahead to state that race originated and can be traced back to a primitive past and cannot be in any way claimed to be genetic leftover (Rubin 1). It is handed down to us by means of training within the society from one generation to the other. The training is always initiated at very early stages in the members of the society, which is evidently see n from the sibling rivalry that starts at very tender ages. Sibling rivalry, as is proposed by Rubin, is not instinctual, rather it is instigated by the parents who themselves are caught in a similar trap spending large amounts of energy and time trying to outdoor others. We will write a custom essay sample on Competition and Happiness by Theodore Rubin or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now It has even been observed that several children are forced into the Little League, or any other comparable competitive structures with the excuse that such activities will encourage the self-development of the children, their well-being, and their general health (Rubin 1). In the real sense, these organizations and activities virtually always act as vicarious channels set to satisfy the parental desire for competitive success. Individuals raised up in this manner would feel left out if they are unexpectedly plunged into such situations where there is a little competitive tension (Rubin 1). Owing to the fact that they are brought up just to compete and have lost their sense of living, when presented with the new situation, they make up hierarchies and gimmicks to supply the incentives they require going on with life, even if such inventions are in the end disparaging to the inner peace and individual health.