Since the beginning of time we have basically known that comparing ourselves with others is a foolish endeavor.

St. Paul warns that “comparing among yourselves is not wise”.

GK Chesterton’s short poem, Comparison, speaks not so subtly about the the foolishness of comparison:

“If I set the sun beside the moon,
And if I set the land beside the sea,
And if I set the town beside the country,
And if I set the man beside the woman,
I suppose some fool would talk about one being better.”

Yet it seems ingrained from birth.

It’s obvious how self-destructive comparison can become; and still, it very subtly creeps in. It finds us everywhere and starts small.

“Mom, he got a bigger piece of cake than I did!”
“They have nicer clothes…

a skinnier body…
a better home…
a bigger bank account…

…it’s never ending.

Comparison is self-destructive, because of where it leads. It causes our thinking to spiral out of control in big or small ways with jealousy, anxiety, discontent, depression, or worse – rage.

To jump off this unhelpful carousel, we must see the problem and stop putting coins in the merry-go-round! Stop feeding comparisons and think more accurately, with contentment, truth, and gratitude about ourselves and others.

Today’s Peace of Wisdom can be found when we stop comparing ourselves to others.