TEDx Talks - How to correctly interpret competition? | Peiyang Wang | TEDxNACIS Shanghai Youth
The speaker shares their experiences growing up in different educational systems, highlighting the contrast between the egalitarian, non-competitive environment in Switzerland and the highly competitive system in China. In Switzerland, the lack of direct comparisons with peers allowed the speaker to thrive and develop confidence. However, upon moving to China, the focus on exams and constant comparison led to decreased motivation and feelings of inadequacy. The speaker argues that unhealthy competition, termed 'nun' in Chinese, detracts from learning and personal development. They emphasize the importance of cooperation and self-improvement over competing with others. The speaker shares personal strategies for fostering healthy competition, such as focusing on personal strengths, competing with oneself, learning from experiences, and contributing to the community. These approaches helped them overcome anxiety and achieve personal goals, such as becoming a basketball team captain and engaging in community service projects.
Key Points:
- Focus on self-improvement rather than comparing with others to avoid demotivation and depression.
- Recognize and develop personal strengths instead of dwelling on weaknesses.
- Compete with yourself to ensure steady personal growth and improvement.
- Learn from every experience, whether from others or personal challenges, to foster continuous development.
- Contribute to the community to find meaning and fulfillment beyond competition.
Details:
1. 🌍 Early Childhood Abroad
- Spent over 10 years of childhood in Switzerland, where egalitarian views are emphasized, fostering equal treatment among children.
- The Swiss educational system features fewer exams, which minimizes direct peer comparisons and reduces pressure on children.
- During three years of kindergarten, experienced significant personal growth, transitioning from a shy, isolated boy to a confident English speaker.
- The Swiss educational approach, centered on equality and minimal competition, contributed to personal confidence and language acquisition.
2. 🇨🇭 Mastering German
- After two years of hard work, I could speak German fluently.
- Attended a German-speaking primary school, which accelerated language mastery.
- Able to decipher books such as Harry Potter in German, indicating advanced comprehension skills.
- Participated in a play as a protagonist, showcasing language proficiency and confidence in using German publicly.
- Faced initial challenges in adapting to a German-speaking environment, but overcame them through immersive practice.
- Utilized language learning tools and methods, such as flashcards and language apps, to enhance vocabulary and grammar understanding.
- Engaged in regular conversations with native speakers to improve fluency and pronunciation.
3. 🇨🇳 Challenges in China
- Subjects taught entirely in Chinese posed a significant barrier to non-native speakers, impacting learning outcomes and necessitating additional language support.
- Students face frequent and transparent exams, with immediate score announcements, which can add stress and pressure to perform well.
- The competitive academic environment emphasizes peer comparison, negatively affecting student motivation and mental health, with reports of increased feelings of inadequacy and depression.
- To mitigate these challenges, schools could implement language support programs and provide mental health resources, fostering a more supportive educational environment.
4. 🤔 Reflecting on Competition
- The speaker reflects on excelling in non-competitive learning environments but notes they can be inefficient, implying a need for balance.
- In China, the term 'nun' captures the essence of unhealthy competitiveness, shifting focus from learning to simply outperforming others.
- The 'theater effect' is introduced as a metaphor for exhausting competition, where individuals stand to see better, but collectively end up equally fatigued without any real improvement in viewing. This highlights the futility of competitive escalation.
5. 📉 Competitiveness and Well-being
- A study by Eastern Oregon University found that more than half of respondents preferred earning more relative to others than having a higher overall income, indicating the importance of relative success in personal satisfaction.
- According to the 2023 Blue Book of China's Mental Health, primary children have a 10% chance of being depressed, which increases to 35% for middle and high school children, largely due to comparison based on test scores. This highlights the negative impact of competitiveness on mental health from a young age.
- The preference for relative income over absolute income suggests that societal values placed on competitiveness can overshadow actual wealth accumulation, affecting individual well-being.
- The increase in depression rates among school children due to score-based comparison emphasizes the need for educational reforms focusing on holistic development rather than purely academic achievement.
6. 🧩 Cooperation Over Competition
- Perceiving the world as a jigsaw puzzle emphasizes the importance of cooperation to create a complete picture, likened to an artistic masterpiece.
- Competition, such as focusing on one's positioning, is detrimental and leads to a collective disaster, highlighting the interconnectedness of achievements.
- Every individual's success is tied to the contributions of others, from teachers to janitors, stressing the importance of mutual support.
- Helping others is akin to puzzle pieces fitting together, illustrating the satisfaction and necessity of collaboration.