Competition - It's In The Blood

So either the producers of Project Runway All-Stars realized they would be competing against the Winter Olympics and pushed things off for a week, or (and this is probably more likely), they scheduled the next show so that it wouldn't conflict with New York Fashion Week, which is in full bloom right now. Every day my in-box is crowded with more photos of fashion collections, most of which I look at with "meh", a few of which I look at with interest. Of course, I'm middle America and I'm over 50 - it's a hard demographic to design for and usually designers appearing during NYFW won't bother with my demographic. 

US Figure Skater Vincent Zhou landed a Quad Lutz, the first time ever
in international competition. Pretty awesome. 

Since I had a night off from fashion, I watched the Olympics with DH for a couple of hours. He was happy to have my company and I was pleased to be able to share some time with him. Of course, I hit my wall just as the Men's Figure Skating Short Program was getting to the top contenders. I was in bed and asleep before the warm-ups stopped. My wall is pretty dramatic and doesn't leave any wiggle room. I'll be watching clips today, and catching repeats of the better programs, but it was disappointing to miss the beginning of this stage of the ice skating competition. 

International piano competitions exist throughout the world. I can't
imagine how anyone can actually choose one or the other. 

Competition is blood deep in humans, isn't it? I wonder if it runs as deeply in other species - dogs, cats, the deer in the forest, the magpies in the trees. Among humans, if we don't have a competition, we seem to invent one. Artists gather their works together in varied competitions, out of which have come some stellar pieces and also some strong disappointments. France was famous for the artistic competitions held in the late 1800's and early 1900's. 

Art competitions can be school-wide, local, national or international. They
can be age-specific, or media specific. There are thousands of art
competitions - one for every aspiring artist. 

Musicians also have competitions, often centered around one particular instrument. Piano and violin come to my immediate thoughts, but I guarantee there are competitions for almost every instrument, including the human voice. Often winning these competitions can mean employment, grant monies, or a fast-track to fame and fortune on the concert stage. 

Kids race against each other all the time. It may not be formal, but
it does seem to be genetic, or at least cultural. 

If there is no formal competition, humans will tend to invent one. "Race you to the street", was common in my neighborhood as I was growing up. "Bet I can hit the ball farther than you", is also common as a pick-up competition. When the one-on-one competitions of youth are transferred to business and the board room, corporate competition ensues and, sometimes, humanity benefits (or totally crashes and burns). Sometimes all is sacrificed for the purpose of winning the competition. 

So, as an only child who has a competitive streak, I look at where we are in the world today and I know that a great deal of what surrounds us is a result of competition. It's basic - that desire to go one more step, find out one more thing, crest one more mountain or forge one more river. I wonder if competition goes as deeply as the cellular level ... 

Have a fantastic Friday. It's the first Friday of Lent, so I'll be picking up McDonald's Fish Sandwiches for Friday dinners for a few weeks. I love the stupid things, so even though I don't walk that religious pathway, I'll participate in the food deal. It's all good! Be back tomorrow ...