Crabs in a Bucket Syndrome

Comparison has become human nature. I don't know if it has always been like this or not. Comparison can be used for good in certain aspects. However, people more and more everyday are using it as a way to gauge their success in life. When I say that I have truly become successful in life, it is because I am completely content with my life and where it is going. Instead of comparing my life, and more specifically the material things I have, to other people's lives, I measure my amount of happiness overall to gauge my success.

But there's alot of people out there who just don't seem to get it. They constantly want to compare themselves to others, be "one up" on everybody else, "keeping up with the Jones", so on and so forth. Some people are obsessed with it... and I think that's sad. Most will never realize that no matter how hard they try, none of that will ever really make them happy.

And since humans are in a constant state of comparison, it brings me to the subject matter at hand, what I like to call... The "crabs in a bucket" syndrome. I'm sure some of you can see where I am going with this. Have you ever seen crabs in a bucket? There are a few that sit in there and don't move around much because they are blindly content with where they are. Then there are some crabs that realize the prison that they are in and attempt to free themselves by trying to crawl out of that bucket. THEN... you have those crabs that see the ones trying to escape and they pull them back down into the bucket.

It's almost no different with people in today's society. Those of us who see this "prison" that we are in, work hard to free ourselves from it. We strive to create a life where we are truly happy, without any regard for the "rules" that society has set forth.

Then you have those who have the syndrome. They try to tell you what is normal, how to live your life. But the most dominant trait of the syndrome is that they try to pull you back from being successful. They shun and discredit anything that you try to do out of the norm that might actually make you happy.

The truth is, these people are extremely discontent with their own life, whether they are consciously aware of it or not. They are apart of this prison, and feel obligated to live by all the rules of society. They see people who are working hard to be really happy in life and they compare it to their own lives. This in turn, makes them feel even worse.

Here's a quote of mine that came about as I was discussing a personal matter with a friend: "In today's society, you only have to measure how far you've gotten on your path by counting the number of people who supposedly hate you for no reason." I had to make sure that I put the word "supposedly" in there because there actually is a reason, and it is jealousy.

So instead of taking that comparison and those feelings to help turn their life around so that they can be on the right path, they try to make themselves feel better by trying to pull you back down by telling you to just follow along with what everyone else is doing and stop trying to be so different. And when you don't, some will even start "talking trash" and discrediting you in the public eye. Does it really work? I'd like to think not.

To the people who are on the right path to escaping from this prison, I say to keep working hard and do not worry about what anyone else says or thinks. You will soon be truly happy and there will be many more of us to follow. Continue creating your own realities, for we will soon be considered the norm... and change the face of society as we know it.