To Deny Competition is to Deny Life Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive

To Deny Competition is to Deny Life I can remember in fourth grade having an Easter egg hunt at school and having the teacher tell us that we could pick up only three eggs, and then we were to stop. Truth be told, that rule was probably in place for people like me who were so incredibly slow that the other kids would have gotten all the eggs before I even got there, but that didn't matter. I can still remember how stupid I thought it was and how it took the whole point out of the experience. Or how about when we had an art "competition" and half the class got first place ribbons and everyone else got second place ribbons. I had even less art skills than speed at that time and it still annoyed me. What was the prize worth if it was easily attained? Why were they trying to fool me in order to make me feel good about myself? Why were they afraid of real competition? I have been a fierce competitor all my life. I believe I owe most of the credit to having two older brothers who are somewhat close in age. I remember shooting baskets and knowing full well that the only way I was going to shoot the ball was if I managed to get the ball away from my much taller and bigger brothers. If I wanted to play with them at all, I had to learn some way of bridging that natural gap, and it instilled in me a competitive spirit that has been carried with me, further developed, and found to be essential throughout many aspects of my life. Humans are naturally competitive beings. If we weren't, we wouldn't still be around on this planet. One of the greatest and healthiest forms of competition is found in sports. The fact that sports are still thriving also points to our need for competition, for they are an outlet for our ... ... of life. If people can't see this, then it is easy to understand how they can't see the true beauty of competition. Competition is an essential part of growing up. It mirrors life almost to perfection while allowing it to be a game. To deny competition is to deny that life will present us with struggles. It is to pretend that this world will not offer obstacles to be overcome. To fear the pain of failure for either yourself or anyone else is to misunderstand the importance of challenges to create purpose. It is to misunderstand the balance of life. A hollow victory is no victory at all. So I say give me competition. I'll strive to do and be my best and I'll take my chances and if I fall short then so be it, for that's reality. Allow me to hold in balance the chance of failure and the hope of success, for it is in these moments that I can dare to be alive.