Name that flaw

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:29 pm

If I had to pick one main thing wrong with the world that caused most of our problems I would say COMPETITIVENESS. The urge or need to be better than anyone one else. To have the best religion, the best house, the best car, the best country....

What think you?

babygirl · Post by **babygirl** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:36 pm

koan wrote: If I had to pick one main thing wrong with the world that caused most of our problems I would say COMPETITIVENESS. The urge or need to be better than anyone one else. To have the best religion, the best house, the best car, the best country....

What think you?

I completely agree...

A Karenina · Post by **A Karenina** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 9:39 pm

Irresponsibility.

The sad thing about people refusing to accept the consequences for thier own decisions is that they can never face what led them to make the choices they have, much less change those choices in the future. (sad sigh)

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 10:14 pm

A Karenina wrote: Irresponsibility.

The sad thing about people refusing to accept the consequences for thier own decisions is that they can never face what led them to make the choices they have, much less change those choices in the future. (sad sigh)

AK! I haven't seen you for a while! Absolutely. I think competition is the flaw for the ambitious and irresponsibility is the flaw for the lazy.

A Karenina · Post by **A Karenina** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 10:56 pm

((((( Koan )))))) Hey there, sweet one

I haven't been around too much lately - work, school, repairing relationships with my kids, and a new man. Keeps me hopping - but I've never been so happy!! I hope you are feeling just as awesome!

I think there's a lot to the competitiveness. I wonder if the irresponsibility is somehow tangled up into it...If a person wants to be perfect or better than or the winner, and the contest is all of life - how could anyone ever decide who wins? Make sense? So, maybe they judge others as lacking in order to support their own sense of superiority (which would really be inferiority, right?)...(deep breath) And, what is the most obvious form of judgement? Wealth.

That, or I need more sleep before I start sharing the twisted ramblings of my brain. LOL

Jika · Post by **Jika** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:03 pm

Koan could you expand on the notion that... "irresponsibility is the main flaw of the lazy"

Thanks, Jika.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:21 pm

Jika wrote: Koan could you expand on the notion that... "irresponsibility is the main flaw of the lazy"

Thanks, Jika.

Good call. It is easy to say we don't succeed because...

somebody else screwed it up for us.

it wasn't meant to be.

I didn't want it anyway (sour grapes).

I am this way because of what I've been through. If you don't like it, screw you.

This kind of thing. I will admit that sometimes we want something, don't get it and realise with hindsight that it was better that we didn't get it but the effort should at least be put in.

The worst of all laziness: asking someone else to tell you what to do.

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:29 pm

A Karenina wrote: ((((( Koan )))))) Hey there, sweet one

I haven't been around too much lately - work, school, repairing relationships with my kids, and a new man. Keeps me hopping - but I've never been so happy!! I hope you are feeling just as awesome!

I think there's a lot to the competitiveness. I wonder if the irresponsibility is somehow tangled up into it...If a person wants to be perfect or better than or the winner, and the contest is all of life - how could anyone ever decide who wins? Make sense? So, maybe they judge others as lacking in order to support their own sense of superiority (which would really be inferiority, right?)...(deep breath) And, what is the most obvious form of judgement? Wealth.

That, or I need more sleep before I start sharing the twisted ramblings of my brain. LOL

I'm glad you are happy. I am too.

It gets really complicated when we start combining flaws. If you take the person with no responsibility and make them competitive then we get the person who is aggressively and vindictively competitive. In both scenarios of flaws there is no winner. People are so obsessed with wealth they will go into great debt to achieve it.

Jika · Post by **Jika** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:39 pm

Oh OK, I see where you're coming from.

I thought about laziness and the flaw which occurred to me was 'failure to appreciate'.

Failure to appreciate life around them. Their gifts and talents, what they could achieve for themselves and others. Failure to appreciate how wonderous and how short life really is etc etc

It's like some people truly don't know they're alive if you know what I mean.

:-6

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Apr 09, 2005 11:45 pm

Jika wrote: Oh OK, I see where you're coming from.

I thought about laziness and the flaw which occurred to me was 'failure to appreciate'.

Failure to appreciate life around them. Their gifts and talents, what they could achieve for themselves and others. Failure to appreciate how wonderous and how short life really is etc etc

It's like some people truly don't know they're alive if you know what I mean.

:-6

I know what you mean. Sometimes it's depression but sometimes it seems they have no appreciation for quality. Quality of life is not about being able to drink without throwing up or having the worst childhood to justify why you are not successful. I have helped people that I would much rather kick in the eye (to quote Morrissey)

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 3:10 am

koan wrote: If I had to pick one main thing wrong with the world that caused most of our problems I would say COMPETITIVENESS. The urge or need to be better than anyone one else. To have the best religion, the best house, the best car, the best country....

What think you?
On the one hand, you have atomic bombs and vx gas. Both things created out of competitiveness. Irresponsible for the lack of forsight in letting loose unimaginable evil upon mankind.

The root of competitiveness is money and glory.

On the other hand, you have Jonas Salk and his kind. Competition to cure disease. I think it goes down to a more basic yin yang principle. Balance.

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 3:30 am

"Mankind"

Cars :driving:

jahamaa · Post by **jahamaa** » Sun Apr 10, 2005 7:45 pm

The need to be accepted.

But then you could mount a very strong arguement that this is the root cause of the competition you've been talking about.

minks · Post by **minks** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:24 am

koan wrote: If I had to pick one main thing wrong with the world that caused most of our problems I would say COMPETITIVENESS. The urge or need to be better than anyone one else. To have the best religion, the best house, the best car, the best country....

What think you?

Yes and No, imagine if we did not have competitors, then the phone company (such that it is) could forever jack around with pricing and keep it going up and up and up. That is just your bare bones simple observation. In business competition is necessary.

Apathy, greed, religion, politics.

are my thoughts

Jives · Post by **Jives** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 10:58 am

Competition stinks. I hate it. What's worse is that I am in charge of teaching our kids to be competitive.

I once went out for mid-school football. Despite the fact that when I had the ball at the park, not a single kid could catch me, the coach decided I would do better as a right guard. "Stand there and get pounded and we're never going o give you the ball." basically.

I never participated in competitive sports again. I became a skater, a skier and a swimmer. that way, I only competed against myself.

minks · Post by **minks** » Mon Apr 11, 2005 11:29 am

tough on kids with low self esteem to put them in to competition with others. Damaging as heck

David813 · Post by **David813** » Tue Apr 12, 2005 8:47 pm

I think envy is one of the most destructive parts of our lives. Fear and greed are right up there with them.