Ichiban (一番)
“A flower does not think of competing with the flower next to it.
It just blooms”
It’s been a quiet few days after hosting friends; Time to slow down and take stock. I got thinking about the people who have visited us in recent months, many like minded souls.
For most of us, the concept of competitiveness is introduced at school. I wasn’t very interested in any of it; house points, sports days, the winning of it all. A coach said I was good at swimming, fast. So I represented my school house, my school and my hometown, Wimbledon, in various galas.
But this competitive streak in my teens was short lived.
I began hiking with the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. You were in a team which I enjoyed. Being first at a checkpoint was not important, it was all about the getting there, not getting too lost along the way and having a bit of an adventure. When a group of us hiked along the South Downs Way one winter, a friend got hypothermia. Supporting her was vital, not worrying about how fast we were completing the route or our ETA.
I wonder if some of those lessons learned stayed with me beyond those years. I didn’t chase promotions or job titles. I felt no compulsion to keep up with the Joness. I was never driven to have a bigger house or a better car. Life was not defined by stuff, but experiences.
When working in Japan, my classroom assistant introduced me to the idea of rewarding students with casino chips for their correct answers. She would clap her hands enthusiastically at random times during a lesson, yelling “how many, how many”. The students would diligently count up their casino chips and charge over to the whiteboard to update their tally. All wanted their names to be the top scorer. I was vehemently opposed to the whole thing.
Around the same time we met a professor working at Osaka university. He was Zambian. We invited him and his wife over for dinner and swapped stories over soba noodles. He told us about a Japanese colleague who he had worked with at the University of Lusaka. Apparently the professor would renew his rolling contract year after year. Eventually the administration asked him “why don’t you want to go back to Japan?”. His answer was “here in Zambia there’s no ichiban”, the pressure to be number one.
We can all see some positives that come out of competitiveness. But there are pitfalls too. It seems that some of the most unhappy and restless people are the ones who are busy wanting more. Raw ambition. The relentless need for bigger and better. They can become preoccupied with looking at what others are doing; comparing lives, comparing stuff.
Surely there can be no contentedness in measuring our worth against others. Bottom line, someone else might have a better car or a better salary but that doesn’t make them a better person.
I can remember using this line with students in international schools; ‘Am I unique or am I a sheep?’ Why compare yourself with others? Follow your own path. Just be you.
Are you competitive? Or you have lived in or travelled to a country where it is highly competitive?
Maggie M/Mother City Time