You see it all around these days, especially in the schools. The idea, the mantra, of everyone is a winner. There is some merit to this. Everyone is special and loved in God's sight. Everyone has some ability, some potential, some talent. I also agree that everyone should be complimented and cheered for their successes and encouraged even when they fail. That said, after that, I stray completely from this ideology. It has gone too far! There are less and less places where a clear rank is applied, a definite winner is selected. This way of thinking is giving us more and more people without a drive to succeed, and many others who want to be congratulated for the ordinary.
Everyone is not equally capable of doing each and every thing as well as the next person. They just aren't. We are uniquely gifted by our creator. If mankind loses his will to strive, to go beyond, where will our new heroes come from? How will we conquer the challenges of living in this world?
What do you think?
Barbara
As a teacher, I had a hard time not giving everyone a reward. But, the research says it is why some adults have anxiety.
ReplyDeleteMy dad's family lost all their money during the depression. He had a friend whose family did not. The friend committed suicide in the 1960's when he lost his money. He could not cope. We underestimate the ability to cope and have perspective.
Absolutely not! I am not a believer of everyone should get a trophy even if they come in last. NO! We have to have something to strive for. Its not fair to those who excel in sports or academics, etc. If i apply myself and study or work out or whatever it is i want to do well in, it would tick me off for those who didnt apply themselves to be given an equal reward.
ReplyDeleteLove the cartoon! I agree - we lose something when we try and make everyone a winner.
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the situation and the child. There are some children who need all the encouragement they can get. Being told they've failed is enough to make them give up and despair.
ReplyDeleteThen there are others who expect kudos for the ordinary. And they refuse to budge unless they get their bribe. They don't need the encouragement.
And there's another group. The group that knows that the reward is meaningless, so it's wasted effort on their part.
Giving rewards blindly to everyone doesn't help anyone. And failures at a young age teach resilience. But some need more encouragement than others.
No one should EVER tell a child they failed at something if they tried at all!
DeleteI agree with you, that things are being taken too far. It's one unfortunate result of living in a PC world, I think. People are afraid of offending or hurting anyone, no matter how slightly.
ReplyDeleteI DO NOT like this mentality. Everyone does not deserve a reward just because they participated. They need to work hard to achieve their rewards. I think society will eventually be the loser in this type of thinking!
ReplyDeleteTotally agreed. If you want to give awards for participating, for just showing up, then call it an attendance certificate. An award signifies something done better than average, with extra effort expended. I think we send the wrong message and then when children reach adulthood they expect to be rewarded and paid for just showing up at the office... and living on their cellphone for the next eight hours!
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