Rivals vs Enemies

I finally realized how pathetically out of shape I have become (thanks to a friend's recently posted group pic) and once and for all decided to get back on the fitness track. One of the tools I am using to keep myself motivated to workout and maintain better eating habits is by watching YouTube videos about what is called as CrossFit. For those of you who don’t know what CrossFit is, here is a short video about it.

 The best CrossFitters from across the world compete in an annual competition and here are the highlights of the 2014 CrossFit games.

These athletes train like crazy for the better part of the day and stay on an extremely strict diet throughout the year, all to win an event that doesn’t even pay a lot or bring much fame. You’ve got to admire their passion. There is one more attribute of these athletes that is even more admirable. When an athlete who has already finished her/his workout in the competition sees a fellow athlete struggle in finishing hers/his, the former athlete goes to the later and cheers them on, encourages them, gives them tips, offers some water, brings the chalk bag closer and does whatever it takes to help the later finish the workout. Because of the grind they go through and how much time and energy (in most literal sense of the word) they put in, they understand what their competitors go through on a daily basis. So they don’t consider each other as Enemies, they see each other as Rivals.

Enemy:One who feels hatred towards, hostile towards, intends injury to, or opposes another.

Rival:One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another.

CrossFitters realize that the competition is painstakingly hard and they don’t need someone else to make it even more difficult by talking trash to or belittling one another. Instead they encourage, admire and look-up to one another and this makes them get better at what they do.(A No. 1 in any field knows the importance of No. 2 in that field and vice-versa). I absolutely love this about the CrossFit community. We can learn a lot from this particular attribute of these athletes and apply it to our day-to-day lives. Living in a world full of terrible things like terrorism, natural calamities, energy crisis, poverty, epidemics, Donald Trump etc. is bad enough as it is. So, instead of stepping on or taking advantage of or trying to bring down someone, we should all try to be the best we can be at the same time help, inspire and strengthen each other and treat each other as rivals and not enemies. Sure the resources in this world are limited, that doesn't mean we should fight over them, we should rather try to use these resources efficiently to fight against the real enemies like the ones mentioned above.

One of the things that I have been quite disgusted with lately is all the animosity going around on so called “Social Media” and this is mainly pertaining to politics in India. There are two major groups, (1) supporters of the current Govt. and (2) those who aren’t. The issues of interest are what the Govt. is and isn’t doing. The former group obviously likes what the govt. is doing and makes arguments for why it isn't doing certain things. The later doesn’t like what the govt. is doing and questions it on why it isn't doing other things. All of this would have been fine if it was done in an honorable way. But no, what do they do instead? They turn to calling each other names like Bhakts, Chaddis, Libertards, Sickulars etc. There is one thing these two groups do agree on and that is regarding the media whom they both lovingly and quite aptly call, Presstitutes. The reason behind this is that these groups think that the media is always reporting in favor of the other group. How that is possible, I do not know. I also always wonder this, when a member of one group (from above) posts something that might offend a member of the other group, who is he/she actually addressing these things towards? Of course it is only those on his/her “friend-list” will be able to see these posts. Do you really want to alienate someone who is(or once was) your friend or at the least an acquaintance? All the loathing and ill will helps neither and most definitely not the nation (or the world). Instead wouldn’t it be better if we tried to bring our point across in a more friendly way so that if they don’t like it, they would question it in a respectful manner and thus starting a dialogue which would end in resolving the issues? There is a reason they are called Left & Right, they are not supposed to kill each other, instead they are supposed to balance each other, keep each other in check and push each other to improve the society and the humankind.

Like friendship, rivalry too is a two way street and you can't consider someone as a rival who wants to take your head off (figuratively speaking). But you can always try to reason with him/her/them to a certain extent and if it doesn't work, then you know who's who and what's what. 

Try to keep your Friends close, Rivals closer and use them both to eliminate the Enemies.