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

"Competition", from the perspective of the Order Belief, presented by Kazyn Phoenixfyre

I had a feeling, some time last week, that this may be an interesting topic to cover given the days we live in. And it has not dissappointed * chuckles * Live the topic, right?

We've seen some people move around, or step up against or for one another. we've seen competing shops rise and in fact a few already falter. We've also seen guilds grow, shrink, change, some come into existence and others blink out of existence entirely. And to the casual observer, one might look at this week from a birds-eye view and think "Well gosh... This is pure chaos!"

And you would be right, in some ways. It has been chaos, its scared some folks and excited some others. But this is the kind of chaos that is instilled into our very being at times. It is, in fact, a type of chaos that plays part to the order of the universe. Because while it is always important to seek out and be the best person that you can be - it is also understood that, at times, competition can in fact be good. Good for you as a person, a learning experience, and good for your very survival.

The chaos thrown out there is not something to hide away from or be scared of, but rather something to learn from. It is the universe telling us that change is good, and those that can learn from it, understand its place in the order of our world, can succeed.

That coworker that out dresses you today may get you down, but you may well learn a few things you didnt think of... colors perhaps you didnt think of. That competing miner may sell lower than you... but they are also helping you establish a market equalibrium and the town next door you may be worried is coming along faster than yours? Your strive to do better, or provide for your citizens, helps enhance the entire world!

Competition in fact, has always been the universes way of ensuring a better world. A species' ensured survival. Some several thousand years ago there were two subspecies of humanoid. Both similar, both learning and adapting to this world. One grew stronger and hunted more - was able to hunt for more food and protect its lands, and the other species was weaker, and was on its own path to extinction. Until they learned that they could not compete with them in strength and size, so competed using what htey were good at - thinking. Learning, adapting.

They used tools and weapons, and learned to work as a team rather than individually. They soon were able to overcome, and eventually became the dominant species - coming back from extinction. This is the tale of the human being, but not a singular tale. This is how species have survived for billions of years. Competition, a part of our very being. But those that truly survive and learn from competition dont do so because they are simply better at a thing than the next. They learn what THEY are better at. They use it, they learn, and they become a better THEM, rather than becoming a better version of the guy beside them.

So this chaos that unfolds, that has hit some of us in our hearts and inspired others? This is just a passing thing. A part of a grander order that only the most learned can truly observe. BUT, the here and the now, the chaos that we see - we can be the best we can be to learn how this improves us. How we can advance. And that...is what it is all about. We can not always be the best hunter, the best thinker, you may not be the best businessperson or guild leader or whatever you do. But you all have something. Something that makes you unique. Even to those of a similar profession, a similar world, guild, The things that make us different make us as strong as the things that make us alike. And learning from those competing against you is the best way that BOTH of you will ever be able to get better.

So while it is scary, and chaotic, and stressful at times. Chaos passes, and those who harness it to learn from themselves and others - can truly evolve. And while this means, at times, some who can not adapt get left behind and as Katrina said - some of those "competing species' have in fact died out... That is the universes way of telling us we must do better. To survive, to move on, to live on, we must learn. And learn we shall.

So I challenge you all today as you leave this place. Dont be scared or concerned about the competition around you. But instead, find what it is doing to make things better - and what YOU can do to learn from it. This is the gift that the order of the universe gives to the wise and the learned, and yes you can in fact learn... even from chaos.

Thank you,

Kazyn Phoenixfyre bows.