In modern society there is a lot of disagreementabout competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is good for socialprogress. Others say that competition is bad. It sets one person againstanother. And it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who believe thattheir self-worth depended on how well they did at tennis and other skills. Forthem, playing well and winning are often life-and death matters. In theirsingle-minded dream of success, the development of many other human qualities （品质）is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in thedesire （渴望）to succeed, others take a different attitude. In a culture whichvalues only the winners, they are strongly against competition. Among themost vocal are youngsters who are under competitive pressures（压力）from their parents or society. They are always told to be the topones, but they think it's really hard. When I teach these young people, I oftenfind them in a desire to fail. They seem to search for failure（失败）by not trying to win or achieve success. By not trying, they alwayshave an excuse:" I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I reallydidn't try. If I had tried and lost, that would mean a lot."
Clearly, this belief is the same as that ofthe true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on themistaken belief. They think one's self-respect depends on how well one doescompared with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this fearbegins to dissolve（消除）can we discover a newmeaning in competition,
