competition
In Compassion and Self Hate'I wrote about how competition is a form of lf-hate and how our culture has come to believe that competition brings out the best in people.I still believe that it brings out the worst.It is intimately linked to envy,jealousy,and paranoia,and blocks evolvement and development of lf.It ultimately has a depleting and deadening effect on lf as its unrelenting demands are met and lf-realizing needs are ignored.
在《同情与自我憎恨》中，我写到了竞争是自我憎恨的一种形式，以及我们的文化是如何让我们相信竞争能激发出人们最好的一面。我仍然相信它会带来最坏的结果。它与嫉妒、嫉妒和偏执密切相关，并阻碍自我的进化和发展。它最终会对自我产生消耗和抑制的效果，因为它无情的需求被满足了，而自我实现的需求被忽视了。
In competition,the focus of one's life is esntially outside one's lf.The u of our time and energy is determined by our competitors rather than by our own lves and our own real needs.This weakens our own n of identity,and to compensate for this ever-increasing feeling of emptiness and vulnerability we compete still more,completing a lf-de
pleting cycle. When enough depletion takes place to preclude further"successful"competition,we feel hopeless and futile and our lives em purpoless.
在竞争中，一个人的生活重心基本上在自我之外。我们的时间和精力的使用是由我们的竞争对手决定的，而不是由我们自己和我们自己的真正需要决定的。这削弱了我们自己的认同感，为了弥补这种不断增长的空虚感和脆弱感，我们会更多地竞争，完成一个自我消耗的循环。当足够的消耗发生，阻止进一步的“成功”竞争，我们感到绝望和无用，我们的生活似乎没有目的了。
Despite talking about good sportsmanship,competition is totally incompatible with the kind of easy aliveness that is the aim of this book.It flourishes in an atmosphere of high stimulation and vindictive triumph.Its rewards and goals are immediate and short-lived,and lf-glorification guarantees virtual exclusion of lf-realization.It destroys our inner n of autonomy and stability and is also destructive to outside relationships and to real communication. Competitive friction is inimical to kindness,and without kindness a
lf-enriching philosophy is impossible.Despite protestations and reassurances about"friendly competition",antagonists are not friendly.The"feeling good"that competitors say comes from competition is bad on someone el's feeling bad.And this"feeling good"doesn't last becau it is bad upon putting the next fellow down rather than on a sustained strengthening of yourlf---through lf-realization.So competition becomes addictive.
尽管谈到了良好的体育精神，但竞争与这种精神是完全不相容的，这就是这本书的目的。它在高度刺激和报复性的胜利气氛中蓬勃发展。它的回报和目标是立刻并且短暂的，自我荣耀确保了对自我实现的实质排斥。它破坏了我们内心的自主性和稳定性，也破坏了外部关系和真正的交流。竞争性的摩擦对善意是有害的，没有善意，自我充实的哲学是不可能的。尽管一再宣称和保证“友好竞争”，但对手并不友好。竞争者说对于竞争“感觉良好”是建立在别人感觉不好上。这种“感觉良好”不会持续太久，因为它是建立在贬低别人的基础上的，而不是建立在你自己的不断加强上的---通过自我实现。所以竞争让人上瘾。
Competition is a residual of a primitive past,and it is not a genetic residual.It is pasd on
to us through training in our society from generation to generation.This training starts early and can usually be en very early sibling rivalry.I do not believe that rivalry among children of the same family is instinctual.I believe that it is engendered by parents who themlves were victims of victims':they may convey the competitive motif blatantly or so subtly that it is not readily perceived.They themlves are caught in the same trap-they spend enormous time and energy getting ahead of the Jones.
竞争是原始历史的残余，而不是遗传的残余。它通过我们社会中的训练代代相传。这种训练很早就开始了，经常很早就可以看到兄弟姐妹之间的竞争。我不认为同一家庭的孩子之间的竞争是他们的本能。我相信这是由那些自己也是受害者的父母们所引起的:他们可能会公然地或如此微妙地传达竞争的主题，并且这点不容易被察觉。他们自己也被困在同样的陷阱里——他们花费大量的时间和精力超越和他们地位差不多的人。
Small wonder so many children are pressured into Little League or equivalent competitive structures-all with rationalization that this will promote their lf-development,well-being,and health.Actually the activities and organizations nearly always rve as vicari
ous vehicles designed to satisfy parental craving for competitive success. People brought up in this way feel lost if they are suddenly thrust into a situation of low competitive tension.They exist to compete and they've lost their raison d'etre',so they invent hierarchies and games to provide the simulation they need to"keep the motor running”,even if the inventions are ultimately destructive to inner peace and personal health.
难怪如此多的孩子被迫进入少年棒球联盟或类似的竞争性组织——所有这些都合理化，这将促进他们的自我发展，幸福和健康。实际上，这些活动和组织几乎总是作为替代工具来满足父母对竞争成功的渴望。以这种方式长大的人，如果突然被推入一个低竞争压力的环境，他们会感到失落。他们的存在是为了竞争，他们已经失去了存在的理由，所以他们发明了等级制度和游戏来模拟他们需要去“保持竞争”，即使这些发明最终会破坏内心的平静和个人的健康。
I am reminded of my own medical school experience in Lausanne,Switzerland.I was part of a group of about eighty Americans studying at the medical faculty of the university at th
at time.The system was noncompetitive.People who were qualified were accepted into the school.The consisted of people who received passing grades in the required premedical or foundation cours.Two ries of examinations-one in the basic sciences one and one half years after admission,and the other after studies were completed-determined qualification for graduation.Students were allowed to postpone the examinations as long as they felt was necessary.To pass,students were required to demonstrate adequate knowledge of the material. The atmosphere was totally benevolent and without the prence of any coercion or intimidation whatsoever.There was no"curve”and students were not graded relative to each other.
