This article was first published in 1928 in Weltmer’s Magazine and I believe it is apt for this moment.
The most common fault and the greatest tragedy of life is the perversion of the urge to live into the will to excel. Every person comes into the world divinely commissioned to accomplish some part of the infinitely varied detail of the cosmic plan. This manifests as the urge to achieve the longings and dreams of our hearts and it should dominate our lives and make each one of us able to live the satisfactory, efficient life possible only to those who are rightly placed in life and successful in their undertakings.
At work and at play, in business and in morals we learn to form our standards, choose our goals and judge our successes by comparison with others.
Parents, teachers, friends, and the world-at-large seem united in a conspiracy to make us accept life-purposes of their designing in the place of those which spring spontaneously into being in our own hearts. Very early in life we are taught to compete with others in every undertaking. At work and at play, in business and in morals we learn to form our standards, choose our goals and judge our successes by comparison with others. The urge to live and express oneself is perverted into the desire to beat everybody in our lines.
This universal perversion of Divine Will is the basis of most of our troubles and it reaches its climax when it produces Marathon races, dances, swims, eating contests, and finally, worst of all, Marathon speakers. We read in the current newspapers about a German speaker who set out to capture the world’s record for the longest speech. He probably captured it alright but what has he got besides a lot of publicity ? Will his speech last as long and reach as many readers as Lincoln’s Gettysburg address?
When you set yourself to beat others, volume rather than quality counts. Be yourself! Remember, “The Kingdom of God is within you,” then you need not worry whether you can talk longer, swim farther, dance longer, or run faster, than anyone else. You need not ask yourself if you are better than anyone else. It will be enough if you are you and that you are doing the best you can.
