Article November 21, 1970 Issue

Viewing Competition Rightly

CAROL OSMON

Once in the midst of a daydream I caught myself scheming against a fellow writer. I was trying to replace her as the most prolific contributor to a local magazine we both wrote for. I was shocked at myself. Groping for a less selfish attitude, I decided that there was nothing wrong with trying to improve my own position but quite a bit wrong with trying to worsen someone else's. Raising my thought to a more spiritual level, I realized that as God's expression the other woman and I both manifested His qualities and abilities in unlimited measure. The thought of competition between us then seemed rather silly. In reality, we were both already perfect, and this fact left no room for competition.

These seemingly abstract statements can be understood when we learn the true nature of man as God's reflection. The Christian Science teaching of man's perfection conforms with Jesus' directive, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." Matt. 5:48; Christian Science teaches that man is the spiritual idea or expression of the infinite Mind, or Soul, known as God. Thus God is the source of each man's intelligence and abilities. Indeed, man has not a single quality or creative power of his own, but is as dependent upon God for his existence as the ray of sunlight is dependent on the sun. And God, being perfect Love, imparts unlimited intelligence and ability to each and every individual.

Competition can enter only into the limited mortal sense of existence where individuals believe that they have an independent mind and source of ability. If one yields to this misconception, a rightful desire for achievement can become subverted into a desire to prove oneself superior to others. Probably most of us don't realize that in trying to make ourselves best we are attempting to deprive others of full expression of their God-derived qualities and abilities.

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