Indigo said
"understand that much of life is a competition (hopefully a friendly competition, but to a degree it is what we make it)"
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Once you get a job and have a family, is much of life a competition? Mostly, it's collaboration - my company might have competitors but my job mostly revolves around collaboration with my fellow workers to get the job done. In my family, it mostly collaboration to get chores done and needs met. In my social life, it's to meet with friends and have a good time.
I stand by
my comment, in the context in which it was given: advice to a 7th grader who, although apparently well-qualified, was not allowed to interview for a spot in the school's Science Olympiad team.
mpledger, you changed the context significantly in applying the comment to the context of your life situation as a parent with secure employment. Obviously, a typical 7th grader would continue to encounter varying degrees of "competition" to get from his/her current life situation to yours... for example, this might include:
- competition for participation in further school activities (Science Olympiad, try-outs for school play, sports teams, and other extracurricular activities),
- earning the assignment of "1st chair" in band for one's particular musical instrument,
- acceptance to a college with a selective admissions process,
- qualifying for and receiving scholarships and awards,
- building a social circle (including dating),
- self-advocacy, negotiation, and/or "selling" an idea to influence a course of events, provide opportunity, or change an outcome
- presenting opposing or rival ideas to innovate changes in research, policy, etc
- managing one's time and financial budget in which one weighs competing wants and needs and determines priorities,
- establishing one's career through a series of screenings and evaluations provided by applying for internships, engaging in job interviews vying for offers, promotions, etc.
A 7th grader benefits by understanding that "much of life is a competition (hopefully a friendly competition, but to a degree it is what we make it)"... as this advice may help prepare the child to see that it is a near universal experience to "win some and lose some"... therefore to be resilient when one does not prevail... not to gloat when one does prevail... and to learn to be an effective decision-maker when faced with competing choices or alternatives.
