Endless Arm Race

To find out where we stand, we tend to compare ourselves with others, usually with those better than us.

We inevitably find ourselves being deficient because there is always someone else better than us, even if what we have is the envy of many.

To feel good about ourselves, we keep raising the bar that our goals must be higher.

Perhaps it stems from our biological fear that we may be left to die if we don't catch up with our neighboring bands who have more resources to survive the harshest conditions. That may also be why nations continue to try to outdo each other (military strength, space exploration, technology advent).