( 1 ) Please be aware, Dave, that all children are not created equal.
( 2 ) Competition is a comfort zone for some people, and they perform well in that situation. Many people enjoy it and feed off it.
( 3 ) There are also many children that are completely de-motivated by competition, some are brilliant, and require a different type of motivation.
( 4 ) Sometimes even a small penalty can be seen as pure failure, and can take years to overcome. The risk of being that failure is too great to chance.
( 5 ) Not all children are the same.
( 6 0 He was able to excel because he could do it within his comfort zone.
( 7 ) Make no mistake, "competition is good for some children". But not all children.
Dave - I don't mean this as a personal gouge. It's just a fact, and too often ignored.
I broke your post down into 7 basic issues, in order to make my response easier to follow.
( 1 ) No, not all children ( or people ) are equal in their abilities . . . Competition ( of any type ) helps them to find their own "niche" in life, whether flying rockets or pursuing a career.
( 2 ) Competition is part of Life, in all areas, especially careers. If one remains in their "comfort zone", they may never achieve their true potential.
( 3 ) "De-Motivation" . . . I place that squarely on the shoulders of Parents and Educators. If a child is raised by Parents who are "motivated" by success and accomplishments to achieve "status", the child will seek supremacy in life. BUT, if a child is taught that "status" over other people is bad, they will avoid competition, either because they are afraid of not "measuring up" or being looked down on, because they take pride in themselves and "victory". In Life, there are Winners and Losers . . . Everyone does not get a trophy,
(4 ) If you "reward" or do not penalize "failure", there is no motivation to improve. If losing a Rocket Contest scars someone for life, there are significantly greater problems in that individual's psyche. How would such a person be able to function in everyday life ?
( 5 ) Agreed . . . All people are not the same and need to recognize their strengths and weaknesses, whether it is a Rocket Contest, School Grades, Performance Evaluation on a job, etc, etc, etc.
( 6 ) See #2 . . . A person can't live their lives in the "bubble" of their Comfort Zone. Case in point, how would that person handle "direct conflict" in Life ( on a job, for example, when you get "chewed out" by a Manager or getting fired on the spot ) ?
( 7 ) Life, itself, is Competition . . . You can't shield a child from reality or they will not be able to function in the "Real World".
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True, everyone is different . . . But, how does one ever learn "who they are in Life" ?
( A ) The opinions of others ( not Friends, Family, and Loved Ones ) in the World.
( B ) Personal achievements / prowess obtained though activities like Competition ( Hobbies, Sports, School Grades, Performance Evaluations, etc. ).
( C ) Their own "image" of themselves ( The least applicable, because people can't see themselves objectively . . . "Millennials", for example ),
In closing, "Reality" is the ultimate authority, regardless of any "personality factors", in Life !
Dave F.