What do you think of this proverb as a philosophy?

Question

You and me,

Around the tree.

I want you more,

Than you want me.

This was a little ditty I made up in HS football as a motivator to go after any ball carrier. The tree was any blocker. It was the "game within a game" that helped me play as well as I did.

When I wrote it down the other day, I noticed that this is mostly the way I had lived my whole life, for good and for not-so-good. This attitude worked well for me in football, but not so well in life. Football, and my coach, taught me every life-lesson that I know.

But this attitude can become a defeatist attitude if we always assume we are not wanted. Because of my disability, I took on exactly that attitude. I had to over-accomplish in everything I did, just to prove to everyone, except my coach, that I was normal. As well as I played he gave me no referrals to play college ball. I got a referral instead from my principal.

A not-so-good characteristic about this attitude is that I carelessly sweep aside any obstacle I don't like.

Answer 1

I think you already know the answer. It has good and bad aspects. It's good because it motivates you, and you can go far with that sort of attitude, achieve things you want, etc. It can also be bad, though, depending on how you mean it exactly. For example, if you feel like you value your loved ones more than they value you, that can bring about low self esteem, feelings of loneliness, and feelings that you are not valued. And if you want to win so badly, sometimes you may sacrifice more important things like friendships and morals.

Overall, though, I like it. It's catchy, it's inspiring, and as long as you don't take it too far, it's a pretty good philosophy.

Answer 2

Well, I think it's kind of open ended so it could be taken different ways.