Community:Church of the Dark Star/Sermons/20160813 Balance Competition"

"Competition", from the perspective of the Balance Belief, presented by Winfield

Hail everyone! I'm Winfield, the Governor of PaxLair. It's great to be here! Thanks for having me! I greet Amber Raine and Kazyn Phoenixfyre for their perspectives based on Chaos and Order. I will speak from the perspective of Balance.

I like to start my conversation with a little humor. Our topic today is about Competition.

We had a fishing competition in the dead of winter a few years back. I walked onto the frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice, dropped in my fishing line and waited for a fish to bite. I fished for an hour without even a nibble. Late for the competition, a young boy walked out onto the ice, cut a hole in the ice near me and dropped in his fishing line. WHAM, in less than a minute, he caught a huge bass! I was shocked! Just luck I guessed. The boy dropped in his line and again within just a few minutes pulled in another huge fish! Oh my! This went on for several minutes and he caught six fish, and I didn't even get a nibble. I needed to know his secret! I asked the boy, "How do you catch those fish?" The boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rrarm." I was confused and asked, "What was that?" Again the boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rarrm." Hmm. I sighed and said, "Look young man, I can't understand a word you are saying." So, the boy spit into his hand and said, "You have to keep the worms warm!" source: http://www.jokes4us.com/sportsjokes/fishingjokes.html

Moral of the story: When you compete, try new things to win even if they are a bit "yucky"! *smiles*

So let's look at competition from a Balanced perspective. Remember what Balance is: "a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions." Be steady, stay on course, see both sides of the fence, be on the fence, assess pros versus cons. Being Balanced is simply an approach to situations and life. In our discussion today, we Balance between Chaos and Order.

I'm not going to talk about the good or bad things about competition, I'm going to talk about how to win! Competition is defined as the act or process of trying to get or win something that someone else is also trying to get or win. Competition can be cut-throat or it can be kind and gentle. You can step on your competitors to get them out of the competition, increasing your chance to win. Or, you can help your competitors when they have stumbled, giving them a chance, even making your competitive experience more challenging. Compete! Win!

If you wish to win, you need to know a few things from a balanced perspective. You can't just chaotically jump into a competition and expect to win! You might not even know what the rules are or the finish line. You can't just orderly plan and step-by-step your way through a competition! You must be ready for the unexpected when it happens.

You first need to know how to do whatever it is that is being competed, like knowing how to fish. Then, you need to have a strategy, like bring different rods and bait and pick the best time of day. Then, you need to watch and observe what your competitors are doing that you did not predict, then adjust.

Think about economic competition. The goal is generally who can make the most gold with the least amount of effort and cost. Get people to buy your wares instead of your neighbors -- increase sales! Get people to supply you with cheaper resources -- make some trade agreements! It can be very complicated to succeed, yet success is so sweet!

However, there is a big caution you must think about. Whether you compete chaotically, orderly, or with a lot of balance, remember that how you compete defines you. Do you want to be known as a cut-throat competitor or a compassionate competitor. If you are cut-throat and the resources supplies dry up, you may not have any friends to help you survive. If you are a compassionate competitor, you may help your friends, and later some may pass you up or even step on you.

I suggest your competition approach should always be balanced between cut-throat and compassion. You need allies in competition as much as you need opponents. Keep that balance.

Thank you all once again for letting me speak here today. Dragonspeed and may the Fish be with you!