The Good, the Bad, and the Reality of Comparison

Comparison is one thing that has been in existence for years, and we see it plays out in different walks of life and can be done by literally anyone. An individual can compare himself to someone around him in diverse ways; one's parents or friends can compare their children to someone else's kids and so on and so forth, and to be honest, we can't disregard the fact that comparison sometimes can be toxic and dangerous to people being compared to others. Because one thing we won't understand is the fact that our journeys are different and you want to use other people's lives to judge or determine how well or terribly you're doing on your own.

On several occasions I've personally, on my own, compared myself with people around me, be they friends, neighbors, or someone else entirely. I can remember how during my primary and secondary school days I used to compare my parents to those of my friends or something, classmates. Why? Because some of them have well-to-do parents who can afford to get the best of everything, while I, on the other hand, had to manage things and even used things already used by my uncles or elder siblings. Other times when I'm in the university, I remember comparing my grade with that of my course mate.

Also, before I got married, I can vividly remember how my parents would always be on my neck, reminding me of every single childhood friend of mine or neighbor's children who had recently gotten married or given birth to their own children, and that would lead to them asking me when I'd be getting married or moving on to the next stage of my life. Comparison can be bad, and I must say it also has its good. Bad in the sense that it can lead to unnecessary pressure on the individual being compared with someone else.

Comparison has its good side in the sense that it can create a sense of awareness and the need to take necessary steps at the right time. Without comparing yourself with someone at times, it'll be difficult for you to know what next you ought to do. Because you thought you might not go to such an aspect, but via the comparison, you'll also use that avenue to better your life or what is being compared to the other person's.

All photos are mine.