Lesson 3, Topic 1
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Effects of chasing superiority on happiness

John May 22, 2019
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It is in human nature to get attracted to other people’s status and develop adoration for what others have. Humans have a tendency to follow their dreams, and many a times; these dreams are made of what they see of others.

If your friend has a bungalow and you don’t, there are chances that you will try to get a bungalow by some means – be it by earning money through part-time job, or by switching your organization or may be even by some crooked means. This is so inherent in human nature that most of the times, we don’t even realize that we are committing this mistake. Knowingly or unknowingly, each human tries to outperform his superiors and in this process, turns out to be unhappier every day.

Common Traits that Lead to Unhappiness

The following are the common traits in the superiors that make the inferiors feel unhappy −

  • Wealth
  • Beauty
  • Professional success
  • Power
  • Smartness

Wanting to be better than everyone else is the root cause of unhappiness. To understand this impediment, let us consider an example.

In a workplace, every employee works up to his full potential. In corporate world, it is necessary to do so or else you will lose out in the race. Moreover, giving an award to one employee makes that employee happy. However, it makes other employees jealous or even if not jealous, it does increase their competitive spirit. To bag the award in the next quarter, each employee works harder and longer in the office. Longer hours don’t guarantee better work. However, the desire to gain the superior status leads them to ignore their family and their interests.