I experienced that many times and perhaps it is the leitmotif of my years in education, from both sides of the desk (as a student and later as a teacher). If there is one single thing from which my career suffers, it is the compulsive desire to prove myself, unknowingly and benevolently outsmart my boss in the process, and then suffer the consequences. But hey, there are worse misfortunes than this, I agree.

I like how you end this piece. Much of our suffering comes from comparing ourselves to others without grasping the full complexity of either us or them. Thank you for this article.