Comparison is the thief of joy

We have all heard the saying, comparison is the thief of joy from Theodore Roosevelt. Yet, we do this without even realising it. For something to exist, there must be a void or a lack of something.

For someone to be rich, someone has to be poor.
To see something as tall, something must oppositely be short.

    Happy – Sad
    Rich – Poor
    Good – Bad
    Light – Dark
    Future – Past
    Superior – Inferior
    Low – High
    Strong – Weak

When we define, we compare. When we put something in a box, we judge. This is the course of our understanding and, at the same time, the source of our demise in contentment.

We think that knowing is good, that knowledge is good – and they are. But where is the common ground? The equal? The neutral?

We live in a world where we are compared to or shown things that highlight what is lacking in our lives. This breeds discontentment and fuels scarcity, insecurity, doubt, and fear.

"Stop measuring days by degree of productivity and start experiencing them by degree of presence." – Alan Watts

These are merely examples, but division does just that – it divides us. Whether happy or sad, rich or poor, educated or uneducated, if we take time with anyone, there is always something mutual to learn or gain.

We frame things in pairs. We discriminate because of this. Awareness of the beautiful leads us to frame the ugly.

"A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it. It just blooms." – Zen Shin

This is hard to come to terms with, but non-judgement – seeing things as they are, without titles – is key. Resist the urge to define, group, or discard because of the ‘unknown’ factors we impose.

Everything we choose and create is a product of our own minds. Gender, race, and even time itself are not absolute; they are constructs we measure against or use to categorise people.

What we compare ourselves to defines us.
What we compare others to defines us.

"Judging a person does not define who they are; it defines who you are." – Wayne Dyer

Judgement is a fixed mindset.
Comparison breeds discontentment.

The opposite of contentment with ourselves, others, and the world around us.