It seems like human nature to want to compare who and what we are, to other people that we meet, including friends, family, and peers. Those so doing that comparison, often do so, as a way and means to determine whether they believe that they are in the better hierarchy of achievements and success in comparison to those other people. Not too surprisingly, many people, are dissatisfied with their standing, which in the best of cases, serves as a meaningful prod to get them to thus go out and to do better in order to get to the place that they so desire to be. Yet, whether satisfied or not, the comparison format that a significant amount of people, so utilize, is fundamentally flawed; for in truth, a fair comparison really shouldn’t be how we do or do not fare against another, but rather how someone else that was in our shoes, would themselves fare in our stead.
That is to say, as much as people want to believe that we all start at the same place, with the same conditions, the same opportunities, and the same this and the same that – this isn’t true, and even the most cursory of investigations, demonstrates this, conclusively. In fact, some of us are born with all of the advantages and some of us are born with all of the disadvantages; so that, as in a game of golf, some of us have a very low or no handicap -- whereas, others, have a significantly higher or high handicap. This thus signifies that in fairness, we need to take into full account the true situation of a person’s circumstances, in which, those then that are provided with the most favorable terms and conditions, should achieve far more than those that have not been placed into those same good circumstances.
So then, for all those that perhaps are overly proud of their achievements, or of their education, or of their status, or of their wealth, need to acknowledge that how proud that they should or should not be, is more fairly weighed by how well or how poorly someone else, under the same sorts of conditions, would fare, instead. This then, is a fair test, because those that are born under the most trying of circumstances, shouldn’t be expected to reach the same sort of level, than those that are born with a silver spoon in their mouths so achieve – for to discount social status, connections, money, and the like as somehow not having any real meaning or merit to the subsequent success or lack thereof of a given individual, is unfair.
Each of us should indeed be judged upon our own merits, but extenuating circumstances and the acknowledgement that some circumstances are clearly far more conducive to success than others, needs also to be taken into full account. After all, it’s easy to look down upon someone, especially when we have never lived a day in their shoes -- because having failed to take into fair consideration the circumstances of their lives, in regards to their obstacles, challenges, and injustices, so faced, we have been uncharitable to their character. Sure, comparisons may have their place, but those that are most honest, don’t need to look any further than to take into fair consideration, how someone else would have done in their stead and if they then feel a sort of emptiness or disappointment inside, when reviewing such, they thus need to seriously endeavor to do better