take it to the limit
"To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best night and day, to make you everybody else--means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." e.e. cummings
Have you ever met your competition, that one person who rivals you in every way, encouraging you, almost threatening you to go further, work harder? I met mine junior year of college. A great guy, truly individual….almost. A Dylan fan, Thoreau fanatic, slight obsession with Pink Floyd, played the guitar, human rights advocate, a poli-sci and Spanish major…..sound familiar? This guy was my male counterpart. We had a few classes together and by the end of the semester were writing lyrics back and forth in class, finishing each other’s political commentaries and one day a week we tried to shock each other by wearing the most obscene--though not revealing--outfit/article of clothing to class….which got pretty ugly, let me tell you. While it may outwardly have appeared to be a friendship, we both knew it was a battle of the sexes, in every way possible. We competed on test scores, essays, intense Spanish thought, even extra curricular activities. I founded the lamest of the lame, the Independent Student Coalition for the Abolition of Capital Punishment with the help of oh so handy Prof. Clark, and he reciprocated with Butler for Peace….jerk. I recently found an article about him on DawgNet, which is no surprise, detailing his study abroad in Chile and work with Habitat for Humanity there. He stole my internship at the IICACP, even though I technically turned it down, he’s exploiting his catholic roots to work with the Center for Faith and Vocation and just recently (end of semester) joined the Peace Corps. This guy is a fucking saint……and I want my revenge. He always managed to overdo/do better any and everything I did. But the concept of competition implies that now is the opportune moment to exact said revenge in the form of stumping him once and for all. But I have no clue how. I have to do something big…..you know, like cure cancer AND aids, alleviate world hunger, or research and develop the possibility of relocating the population of Earth to the surface of Mars.
Suggestions would be fantastic right about now!
But this isn’t just about me wanting to outdo his Peace Corps, life-saving, saintly manner. He was always the one who drove me further, and so here I am, halfway around the world. But where do I go from here?
Human potential expands exponentially as time and experiences pass, allowing the individual to not only adapt, but evolve into an improved version of the former self. I may not be evolved to the point of suprahuman strength and visibility, as in fact my eyesight is declining daily, but I have more potential than I’m allotting for my use. I’ve settled for a lesser standard, knowing that I’ll never be let down for I know I can accomplish all I place in front of me. I simply have to learn to break off more than I can handle in order to see just how far I can go….to actually risk failure. But that still doesn’t tell me where I should go from here…..I need a plan wrought with ingenuity and brilliance, now who should I talk to about that?
Have you ever met your competition, that one person who rivals you in every way, encouraging you, almost threatening you to go further, work harder? I met mine junior year of college. A great guy, truly individual….almost. A Dylan fan, Thoreau fanatic, slight obsession with Pink Floyd, played the guitar, human rights advocate, a poli-sci and Spanish major…..sound familiar? This guy was my male counterpart. We had a few classes together and by the end of the semester were writing lyrics back and forth in class, finishing each other’s political commentaries and one day a week we tried to shock each other by wearing the most obscene--though not revealing--outfit/article of clothing to class….which got pretty ugly, let me tell you. While it may outwardly have appeared to be a friendship, we both knew it was a battle of the sexes, in every way possible. We competed on test scores, essays, intense Spanish thought, even extra curricular activities. I founded the lamest of the lame, the Independent Student Coalition for the Abolition of Capital Punishment with the help of oh so handy Prof. Clark, and he reciprocated with Butler for Peace….jerk. I recently found an article about him on DawgNet, which is no surprise, detailing his study abroad in Chile and work with Habitat for Humanity there. He stole my internship at the IICACP, even though I technically turned it down, he’s exploiting his catholic roots to work with the Center for Faith and Vocation and just recently (end of semester) joined the Peace Corps. This guy is a fucking saint……and I want my revenge. He always managed to overdo/do better any and everything I did. But the concept of competition implies that now is the opportune moment to exact said revenge in the form of stumping him once and for all. But I have no clue how. I have to do something big…..you know, like cure cancer AND aids, alleviate world hunger, or research and develop the possibility of relocating the population of Earth to the surface of Mars.
Suggestions would be fantastic right about now!
But this isn’t just about me wanting to outdo his Peace Corps, life-saving, saintly manner. He was always the one who drove me further, and so here I am, halfway around the world. But where do I go from here?
Human potential expands exponentially as time and experiences pass, allowing the individual to not only adapt, but evolve into an improved version of the former self. I may not be evolved to the point of suprahuman strength and visibility, as in fact my eyesight is declining daily, but I have more potential than I’m allotting for my use. I’ve settled for a lesser standard, knowing that I’ll never be let down for I know I can accomplish all I place in front of me. I simply have to learn to break off more than I can handle in order to see just how far I can go….to actually risk failure. But that still doesn’t tell me where I should go from here…..I need a plan wrought with ingenuity and brilliance, now who should I talk to about that?
posted by Chishiki Lauren at 12:34 AM
2 Comments:
I have an idea of how you can one-up him, and a Jerry Springer Final Thought. I can only imagine how much you love Jerry.
The idea is simple, and the thought may be terribly wrong. The two, actually, are directly related.
Of course I have no idea what kind of relationship the two of you share, other than what you wrote of him. It seems that you have fallen for this guy, on some level. Romance? If this may be the case, then my idea would work. If I am wrong, I appologize.
Send him a ring of some sort. You don't need to end world hunger to make yourself the happiest person in the world. Take care of yourselves, and eachother.
I, in fact, dated him for a short while, before we got bored of each other. I can only stand someone just like me for so long, then it simply feels like a narcissistic(sp?) vanity project. I suppose Paula Abdul was correct....opposites do attract. Although I tried that too and he only ended up in jail...maybe it's me.
Post a Comment
<< Home