There are so many rivalries in our lives that one has to be careful. Some of these rivalries are healthy, while others are toxic in nature and can lead to depression or even low self-esteem.
Sometimes we have a little rivalry with our colleagues at work, always trying to outdo one another. I remember even when I was in high school, I had a rivalry with a classmate, and I say that it was a good one because the rivalry made me work hard, and this affected my grades positively.
Sibling rivalry is always very interesting and fun, but it can be toxic. It has its pros and cons. It can lead to a strong bond between siblings or can lead to conflict and a total breakdown of communication between the siblings.
I remember some of the rivalries I had with my brother, and it puts a huge smile on my face.
In high school, we were members of our high school soccer team, and it was a thing of joy. It was rare to have two brothers on the team. As the eldest, there was a lot of pressure on me; most people expected me to be better than my younger brother. This made me more determined to show my skills and show my teammates that I was the best. During training, I would work very hard so that I would be selected to play on match day. I remember one of the training sessions where I tackled my brother so hard that everyone screamed. If he scored a goal during training, I would try everything possible to also score a goal or two. Some days I won't get a single goal, and I will go home bitter. But every match day, our coach would select the two of us to start the match, and it's either we both score a goal each or one of us does.
I didn't really know the rivalry was making me a better player. As I graduated from high school, our coach called me and said, "Your brother being on the team made you a better player." I was surprised by the above statement. I remember asking my coach who was the better player between my brother and me; he responded by saying, "Your brother is better than you." I was angry and decided to work harder. And he would tell my brother that I was better than him. At the end of the day, I discovered that it was the rivalry that pushed us to be better.
Another rivalry I had with my brother was about who was the better cook between us. This was a funny one at the beginning. I remember trying to make a pot of stew, and the result was a complete disaster. I remember my mother laughing at me, and I felt embarrassed. She said, "If this is how I cook for you guys, that means you guys would have had a permanent room in the hospital by now." To be truthful, the stew was terrible. I would not even wish for my enemy to taste that stew. My brother would cook, and I watched as everyone would eat his food and ask for more.
I was more determined to improve my cooking and show him that I was better. Well, I can say that this food rivalry helped to improve my cooking skills. I was learning how to make spaghetti, and I had a plan. I told my mother that I wanted us to compete; let's make spaghetti and see who wins. I was so confident that I would win this, but it turned out he knew what I was planning and was well prepared for me. I lost the competition and felt embarrassed. After some time, I noticed our cooking was so good that mom would allow us to cook for everyone and even for visitors.
In the end, I can say that our siblings rivalry was a good one, and it pushed us to be better. Sibling rivalry can be toxic and destructive in nature, but I am happy that ours has made us better. One must know when to draw the line when it comes to sibling rivalry, as it would prevent envy and jealousy among siblings.
All pictures are mine.
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