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Not the best? Do it anyway!

If you will never be the best at something you like doing, do it anyway!

Our society places a lot of emphasis on winning, as if that were the only way to have complete satisfaction. However, being #1 at anything in the world is only a short-lived satisfaction, inasmuch as the top rated person eventually gets replaced, and most of us will never reach that level anyway.

Truly we only experience a small fragment of the universe, so we cannot have any ultimate claim to "best" no matter how well we do something. Already we have invented machines that can do many things better than the best humans:

Why learn to sketch or paint, when a photo makes a more realistic image?
Why should anyone play music, when computer-controlled electronic instruments can play a composition exactly as written, without error?
Why play sports, to run down a field or kick a ball, when a car can travel faster than any runner, and a cannon can launch a ball faster than any kick?
Why go on vacations to explore new places, when pretty much every place on earth has already been explored, mapped, and photographed, either by previous travellers or from satellites?
Why play games like chess, when the best computer can always beat us, and even when we seem to win (as in a video game) it's only because the game is "slowed down" enough to give the human a chance.
Why bother to tell stories or write books, when there are countless thousands of books that have been written already, and 99% of "new" ideas are not really new?

The simple answer of why people do those things anyway, is because they want to! People naturally get joy from exercising their skills and satisfying their curiosity, and it doesn't matter that it's been done before or done better. It doesn't matter whether someone will "recognize you" for it or not.

Unfortunately, this is something the people tend to forget as they get older. Though as children we have a natural enthusiasm, as adults we may feel like we've "done it all" and so there is no point. We work all day, and in the evening we flop down on a couch, maybe watch some videos that seems barely worth watching (we've seen stuff like it before), and apart from chores we may do little else.

Then as we reach retirement years and have plenty of time for recreation, we gradually find that we are no longer able to do many of the things we did before. Most residences for senior citizens' offer activities that people can still do, and those who choose not to tend to have a shorter life. Life goes on, but not for long, after the joy of living has gone!

So, here's my prescription: Do some activities now that you like or arrange for them soon. Remember the things you enjoyed doing when you were younger, and do them again. It's better yet if you can invite some family or friends to do them with you, for your mutual benefit, and to magnify the joy. Sing, play music, hike through a park, have a picnic, read a new book, join a club, or try some things you haven't done before. In the grand scheme of the universe none of this is significant, but to your life it makes a difference, so don't neglect it!

Arthur de Leyssac, March 2020.

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