Would You Prefer The Bronze Or The Silver?
a poem and a reflection
They say that having just made it, winning bronze instead of nothing at all, gives you more joy than having just lost it, winning silver instead of gold. It reminds me so vividly that perhaps our happiness is not constructed from a static point, but rather in comparison to another story. Yet, this understanding of happiness falls apart when you consider sadness. Another person suffering far more than me does not take away the pain I currently feel. Perhaps, I wish we were built differently, that in happiness we would see what we have instead of compare it to what others have in more abundance, that in sadness, seeing that another has less is able to distract from the pain and mobilize a purpose so that neither of us might live under the umbrella system that resulted in this.
Inviting Shannon Hugman| Bhavna Narula | Tima Loku | Jimmy Misner Jr. | Coco Joan | Shivangi Patel | KSHernandez| Candy Marie | Kay Bee| Rusty Alderson | if you’re up to it and anyone else interested to smash that writer’s block, join in on this tiny challenge and write a response, wherever it takes you! It can be a tiny poem, a shortform piece or an essay — whatever comes into that brain noodle!
Comparison is the thief of joy.
Submit it to The Brain is a Noodle or be sure to tag me in your response if you publish elsewhere, so I can read it and share it with the world!
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Hi I’m Lucy Dan 蛋小姐 (she/her/她) and I remember being so ashamed about grades in the high nineties that I genuinely look back and think were great. For one, there was external pressure that told me that anything less than better than perfect was never enough, and that’s a huge pressure to hold. I literally had the gold and felt like I was second best or not enough. It took me less than a hot second to drop that kind of thinking like a hot potato as I started experimenting with the weirdest of hobbies (chocolate mayo cake anyone?) because failure can be fun to me too.
Hop down the rabbit hole? 🐰🕳
^ by Dr. Kavisa Ghosh