When I was in sixth grade I lost both a spelling competition and a sport competition. It pretty much meant that I was not a top student intellectually or physically. The spelling competition was your run of the mill type – I couldn’t spell “equalize,” so I was out. The sport competition was the then coveted Presidential Physical Fitness Test where you accumulate points. I did “pass” the test, but not at the highest level possible (damn pull ups).

When I was a kid, there were winners and losers. There were people who were not picked quickly for a game of pickup football (some of us were never really “picked” at all – just the last one standing). Although we may have had some hurt feelings about it, it still represented real life – yes Virginia, there are losers. The losers either tried harder or went and found something they were good at. In any case, we all turned out OK .

Today, of course, is much different. We all get to be winners. There are no losers, no second place, no runners-up, no chance for anyone’s precious developing ego to be crushed by mean - spirited adults and peers. The downside, of course, is that real life will never mirror this Utopian attitude. There are winners, there are losers, there are people who will rule the board room, and there are people who will ask whether you want something “for here or to go.” Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think any one person is “better” than any other – we all have roles and jobs to fill on this planet, and each one is just as important as the next.

Making sure that everyone is coddled well into their teens only makes it all that much more of a rude awakening when they break into real life. Some of us were told that if we didn’t get our act together, we would dig ditches for a living. Nothing against the people who actually dig ditches (that is really hard work) – but for some of the rest of us, that motivated the hell out of us to do our homework or learn a different craft.

Pride comes from within. I don’t believe that you can really have Pride unless you earned it. You can’t tell me that if we gave everyone who participates in the Olympics gold medals, they would feel the same as those who win on their own and get to stand at the top of the platform. I guess the current methods are not “fair” to the person who receives a silver or bronze; and what about the ones that didn’t receive any medal? Matter of fact, shouldn’t everyone get to compete in the Olympics – we are not keeping up with the times if you have to “qualify.” Perhaps that is because it is a world event, and we can’t control what everyone else does. As for Americans though, we are all winners – maybe we should just have our own Olympics where everyone wins.

I hope that never happens. I hope that everyone wakes up and realizes that healthy competition, where there are winners, and yes, losers is just that…healthy.