08-19-2015, 09:08 AM
(08-18-2015, 11:00 PM)Bryan Wrote: It doesn't hurt whoever won. What it does is teach complacency. If you get a trophy for just showing up why would you strive to be the best?
Perhaps in your mind and Harrison's mind, if all you care about it is you got a trophy then you slack off. Not in mine and many others.
Maybe putting it in another context would help. If you cooked a meal and it was edible but not your best ever would you throw it out or eat it? I would eat it, but I would try to do better next time. It would seem by your and Harrison's logic that you would either throw out the meal or eat it and quit trying to cook better.
If your girl (or guy) gave you a hummer and you did not think it was the best one you had ever received would you still show some gratitude. It seems you and Harrison would not, because you would not want your lover to get complacent. I think a normally programmed person would show gratitude. Saying, "Thanks for the hummer," even though it wasn't the best one you ever got is equivalent to giving a participation trophy.
I am sorry that is anathema to you and Harrison but I am happy to recognize the efforts of all kids who play sports, all who try to feed me a decent meal, and all who try to gratify me physically. I will risk complacency in the name of decency.
JOHN ROBERTS: From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly so that you will come to know the value of justice... I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either.
