Are we competitive by instinct?

How did you finish your course so early?she asked! 'S' was taken aback. They are both meeting after many years. Colleagues in the previous place where both of them studied, life had taken them in different directions before bringing them together for a brief meeting. And this question was asked during this brief meeting.

Why couldn't have they exchanged pleasantries and wished each other well and just moved on? Both are doing fairly well. Both are living in two different cities, both are not competitors anymore in their businesses. But when they meet again, the competitive spirit which they had during their college days resurfaced; albeit slightly. 

This got me thinking! Are we competitive by instinct? Or have we developed the competitiveness as we grew up. Are some more competitive than others? Do we have that instinct to perform better than the other from birth? Or do we compete with others as we start growing up with them?

I remember a friend 'J' telling me that one of the life time achievement is to have got more marks than this person in their class 'X' board exams. Life time achievement? To get more marks than another? 

Some times that kind of competitiveness is scary! They can be morally hazardous too!

Can we teach the human kind to compete within rather than without? To compete with themselves. To be better people, to achieve their best, to be better than the previous me? Can systems which assess be tweaked to assess our previous best to the current best?

But then what will the world come down to if we stop being competitive? Imagine sport without the greatest of rivalries? I'm very sure that Nadal became a better player because he played against Federer! What if there was no Michael Schumacher around? Will we have a Hakkinen then? How do we push ourselves if we have nobody to compete with? The entire market economy will collapse, and the best of actors will find it difficult to motivate themselves to set bench marks.

What do you think folks? Which one do you prefer? Is competing with others good? Or competing with oneself better? 

The chaos of life!

Sitting alone in the Bombay airport got me thinking! What am I doing here? No this plan was not there same time yesterday. I was supposed to be in Trichy! Attending the wedding of one of the closer cousins. Yet, I don't regret being here at all. I mean, I seriously think I did the right thing by coming here and I'm excited for the meeting in Raipur tomorrow. Raipur? Now, that is where I'm headed to. Sorry for confusing you all enough. That is how my life is, even for me. Confusing!

I was in Chennai, Bangalore, Hosur, Salem, Trichy, Bombay, Raipur in the last two days and most of it was unplanned.

I think I like being indecisive. The chaos. The last four days have been absolutely chaotic and I liked that feeling. Somehow being decisive in the thought process, having the next ten years sorted out in life, planning well ahead of time for the future, saving money for the retirement, is just not me.

Does it irk the people around me? The other day even the often reticent dad sounded a little annoyed. Paavam, the wife had to take most of the brunt I presume. For I don't know where I'm going in the next two months. For I have delayed the decision till the last moment. And that means, that she also does not know where will she be in the next two years and may be after two years as well. And I'm at peace with that. Now, I'm seriously doubting whether it is okay to not get worked up and tense about the where's and how's of life.

I somehow just like the idea of going without much plans. Letting the situation hit you. Is plain laziness has something to do with it? Or is it just the personality?

Bring it on people! How do you respond to life? Do you like your life sorted out? Do you plan ten years ahead? Do you like planning for a tour two months in advance? Do you revel in doing things as it comes? Or have you already planned your children's education also?

The chaos or the planned serenity? What do you prefer?