A recent headline announced that the toy maker Mattel has developed a new version of their popular Scrabble board game that provides ‘helper cards’, the option to create teams, and a less-competitive scoring system. The PR department at Mattel suggested that younger generations were looking for a less stressful twist on this iconic family game. Similarly, last month a news feature highlighted the announcement that a spelling bee that had been an annual tradition for decades would be discontinued because the organizers believe that the anxiety created by the competition, as well as the fact that not all students excel in spelling, made the event no longer desirable. Within the past couple of years, major colleges and universities have announced that the SAT and ACT placement testing will no longer be required as part of their admissions process as these standardized tests unfairly discriminated against students who came from failing or underperforming schools. This all comes on the heels of the proverbial ‘trophies for all competitors’ ideology that has come to epitomize the anti-competition mindset of some younger parents.
For as long as humanity has graced the Earth, competition has played a key role in human development, both on an individual and on a societal basis. Moving away from competitive sports, academics, and other ‘winner and loser’ activities because they can be stressful or ‘unfair’ will hamper that human development and ultimately result in a decline in human potential.
It is true that for much of human history, the winner in competitive battles was often the individual who was, simply, the strongest, bravest, or most physically fit. Although this seems primitive to our modern intelligence, these skill sets allowed humanity to survive unspeakable hardship and challenges over thousands of years. Fast forward to the last couple of millennia, and skills such as intelligence, ingenuity, and perseverance began to give competitors in more modern societies the edge over brute strength. Humanity was able combine physical attributes with intellectual and personal strengths to allow human advancement on an unprecedented level.
Even over the past century, most of those who prospered did so through a combination of hard work, creativity, intelligence, and courage. These individuals had to ‘compete’ with the elements, illness and disease, natural disasters, tyrannical leaders, and other individuals battling for the same food or job. Life was certainly stressful and generally not fair in any fashion. But these fighters persevered and succeeded or in some cases died a valiant death trying.
Those of us living in the United States are blessed because we do not have to face many of the demons that our ancestors were compelled to do battle with. But make no mistake – life today is not easy, and we must do all in our power to equip our children with the skill sets they will need to survive and to thrive both as young people and as adults in an unknown future. Some healthy competition will assist them on that journey.
When discussing competition, sports commonly come to mind first. Although it is true that some parents put an unhealthy emphasis and energy into athletics, sporting events can be a great opportunity for kids to better themselves physically, emotionally, and even intellectually. Preparing to compete in athletics requires strength and stamina, discipline, work ethic, mental fortitude, and in some cases courage. The goal in sports is to become the best athlete you can become and learn teamwork and grit in the process. Winning is not about dominating another but about maximizing your own potential. Two strong competitors will respect each other after a hard-fought battle on the court or field or ring. Losing does not make your child less, but the simple act of competing makes your child better.
The same holds true for other competitive activities including solo ensemble for band students, theater tryouts and performances, dance team competitions, chess club tournaments, student council elections, and yes, spelling bees. The participants learn discipline; they learn to manage stress; they develop self-confidence in their successes; they develop resiliency in their defeats; they enjoy comradery and the fulfillment of working together to accomplish a hard-fought goal.
Competing on an academic level also allows our children to reach their full human potential. Reading and math assessments in grade school let us know how our child compares to his or her peers in various subjects. Grades in the classroom let us know if our children are excelling or failing. Admissions tests like the ACT and the SAT give us a baseline by which we can assess if our student is prepared for college or more complex trade school degrees. Like sports, some of our children will have more natural ability, and some of our children will have to work harder to achieve their goals. We must challenge our students to work hard to achieve all they are capable of.
In some ways, we as adults are to blame for the softening of the younger generations. Perhaps we have grown lazy and have lost our competitive edge. How long have many of us been talking about losing some weight, or taking up running, or starting that new hobby, or finding a better job, or battling an addiction? Let us demonstrate to our children what a real competitor looks like. Do some ‘training’ to get yourself in shape physically, emotionally, and intellectually, and then do battle with your weaknesses and your temptations. Fight every day, and if you lose a battle, get up and get back in the game. Find someone in your circle that you can emulate, or, better yet, find someone who will fight alongside you.
The human person was made for more; no more lowering the bar. Let us compete together to bring out the best in all of us.