“The child isn’t thinking whether her painting is good enough. She’s just enjoying painting.”
Competitions, judgments and grades – what does it really do to the human psyche? At what age did we stop enjoying creating and started worrying about the quality of our work? When did our adventurous quest for childhood discovery become lost in letter grade on a piece of paper? What does it truly mean for humanity to have one single person be the best?
We as a species love handing out awards as much as we love receiving them. We love our icons. We love having someone to look up to as if something greater than ourselves, yet what does this concept do for humanity as a whole? Could competition be looked upon as being rather demeaning to the human spirit?
How many future artisans threw down the brush because someone didn’t like their painting? How many genius scientists gave up because of a poor grade? How many independent and fiery spirits dimmed because someone told them to go sit in the corner? How many pioneers of communications silenced because someone told them to be quiet?
With a world filled with judgments and criticisms it is hard for anyone to put themselves and their work out there. If greater openness was given to those to create and to speak, wouldn’t we make a better world? Maybe it’s not the skill level someone has, perhaps it is merely the heart and the soul they put into it that should matter most.