Comparison is problematic with siblings, young children who are eyeing their respective scoops of ice cream or comparing scribbles of artwork. Comparing can be positive when it comes from an ethic of celebrating diversity: cultures, certainly natural beauty. "What does this flower smell like?" The only way to find out is to experiment. To Sarah, the flower's perfume may seem sweet, to Bill, the flower is pungent, to someone else, there may be just the faintest odor. We compare our experiences; we revel in the abundance of responses.
I agree with both Sarah and Bill. Comparison is an important part of exploration, curiosity, learning. In the setting of our own feelings of self doubt and worthiness though, comparison can be a real killer of creativity. I continue to grapple with the same issue I've dealt with for years, decades, lifetimes really. Why bother? What's the point? Don't I have so many other things to do that I do 'better'? That are more 'important'? I'll never actually be good at writing or sketching or painting so why waste the tiny bit of time and energy I have available on it?
"Comparison is a refusal of the self pretending to be an assessment of the self." Wow. This may be the crux of it. Writing for me is all about opening my attention to creative comparisons--that flash when the phrase "100-year storm event" in a dry civil engineering doc I'm proofing suddenly stands for something else--but creative comparisons are never "greater than" or "less than." Instead, they're insights into relationships. That kind of insight is very different from comparing myself to another writer or my writing to theirs to pronounce myself "less than." P.S. Now I'm geeking out and thinking it's like the difference between mathematical comparison operators and string pattern matching in a programming language...
GEEK OUT JODY! I'm glad this resonated, but I also like that you're pointing out that there *is* a generative species of comparison--more like, being in dialogue with something--that is very very different than this other kind.
If it's a less than/greater than kind of thing, that's a sign we've strayed into unhelpful territory.
Comparison is problematic with siblings, young children who are eyeing their respective scoops of ice cream or comparing scribbles of artwork. Comparing can be positive when it comes from an ethic of celebrating diversity: cultures, certainly natural beauty. "What does this flower smell like?" The only way to find out is to experiment. To Sarah, the flower's perfume may seem sweet, to Bill, the flower is pungent, to someone else, there may be just the faintest odor. We compare our experiences; we revel in the abundance of responses.
I agree with both Sarah and Bill. Comparison is an important part of exploration, curiosity, learning. In the setting of our own feelings of self doubt and worthiness though, comparison can be a real killer of creativity. I continue to grapple with the same issue I've dealt with for years, decades, lifetimes really. Why bother? What's the point? Don't I have so many other things to do that I do 'better'? That are more 'important'? I'll never actually be good at writing or sketching or painting so why waste the tiny bit of time and energy I have available on it?
Ooooh this was so good and juicy Sarah! Thanks for your honesty and wisdom.
"Comparison is a refusal of the self pretending to be an assessment of the self." Wow. This may be the crux of it. Writing for me is all about opening my attention to creative comparisons--that flash when the phrase "100-year storm event" in a dry civil engineering doc I'm proofing suddenly stands for something else--but creative comparisons are never "greater than" or "less than." Instead, they're insights into relationships. That kind of insight is very different from comparing myself to another writer or my writing to theirs to pronounce myself "less than." P.S. Now I'm geeking out and thinking it's like the difference between mathematical comparison operators and string pattern matching in a programming language...
GEEK OUT JODY! I'm glad this resonated, but I also like that you're pointing out that there *is* a generative species of comparison--more like, being in dialogue with something--that is very very different than this other kind.
If it's a less than/greater than kind of thing, that's a sign we've strayed into unhelpful territory.