Re: Gardenweb web site
Andrew, you have the patience of a saint. You say things so well. Such
a breath of fresh air to read your posting. You know they will pick it
to pieces and take it all out of context, though. Ah well, I will miss
your postings.
Helen
andrewl wrote:
>
> Traveler200000@aol.com wrote:
> RE:>>To truly "WIN" is to surrender, give up and free ones self of the
>
> burden that out weights all others, the driving "need" to be "better
> than."
> -----------
> Hello Jim,
> The desire to "win" is different for lots of folks. I would say,
> however, that I have much more fun when I'm in a group of "winners"
> than when I'm surrounded by a group of "losers". You know the type;
> "Woe is me, the world has had it in for me since I was born and I'm
> helpless to do anything about it". If you feel the angony of defeat
> often enough, one begins to want to work harder at finishing a little
> closer to the lead dog. ("If you are not the lead dog, the scenery
> never changes" comes to mind).
>
> I feel that working hard, and smart, to achieve your God given
> potential and doing it with such fervor that if you can't win then you
> are making the one ahead of you break the record, then you're paying
> due respect to your ancestors who perhaps sweated long and hard so
> that YOU could have get a break in life--your life wouldn't have to be
> one of constant struggle.
>
> Sure, you can be altruistic, and I am very much a giving kind of
> person, but I have to agree with Helen Williams--were it not for the
> competitive spirit in man, we would still be going to town having to
> watch out for the fresh horse manure in the streets. We wouldn't have
> such a thing as the Salk vaccine. We wouldn't have the genome mapping
> of Arabidopsis Thaliana, or the near completion of the same for
> Humans. These types of efforts take lots of person years, and they
> get very competitive so sometimes, after long hours and no results,
> much of what people have to hold onto is the thrill of victory--the
> thrill of winning!
>
> You are right Jim, winning isn't everything. It's the ONLY thing.
> However, please note that I never agree with achievement that comes at
> the expense of others. There is no ecstacy of victory when it comes
> from trampling others on the road to the the finish line. No, a
> winning spirit pushes and pulls man on to greater accomplishments, and
> this is part of what is in the blood of a winner. Think what the
> world would be like if Hitler had succeeded and if we had not been
> determined to be winners.
>
> Spike at the Gardenweb (finally back on topic) has done a superb job
> of putting together an excellent forum for lots of folks who enjoy
> discussing plants. I know of no web site that enjoys a larger market
> share, simply because there is no one that is providing a better
> service. So, in that regard, Spike is "the lead dog" and the one who
> has set the standard of what a "winner" looks like in that industry.
>
> And, if you don't like winning at what you do, maybe we're describing
> this concept differently. Do you have goals that you want to
> accomplish? Well, when you accomplish them, you are a winner! :-)
>
> RE:>> I take TOTAL issue with your statement. I perceive that
> "Winning is not about making everyone a friend" but being "a friend to
> man."
>
> I sure notice a lot of long faces on the sports teams that lose
> relative to those who win. Losing sucks. I never start anything
> intending to lose. If people become friends in the process, great,
> but most people don't want to work as hard as a winner so it doesn't
> surprise me that many winners are out in front, and all alone. That's
> the price they pay for achieving what God would allow them to, by
> using their gifts and doing so with the determination to either win,
> or to make the one ahead of them break the record.
>
> --
> Andrew Lietzow
> #1 Plantsman at http://hostahaven.com
> 1250 41st St
> Des Moines, IA 50311-2516
>
>
>
>
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