After writing the article I almost disagreed with my own argument. I thought it’s so easy for me to say, living in middle class suburbia. My life is good, but even better when compared to life in the slums of Delhi, or the Shanty Towns of Johannesburg. What if I were in an arranged marriage I was unhappy to be in but at least my husband didn’t beat me like my neighbours’. Maybe comparison is good. I want my children to understand our good fortune being born into a free society, living in a safe environment without daily threat of crime or disease. So maybe rather than it being a comparison between what we have and others lack, it could be a gratitude for what we have as opposed to how life could be. Circumstantial comparison rather than social comparison?

So true. As a teacher, I’ve interacted with a lot of kids and I can tell you, it’s absolutely true. It’s just their stage of life; that’s how they are at the moment.

You’re so right about making downward comparisons. I remember one time when I was telling a friend about some problems I was experiencing and he told me that at least I wasn’t like another person we knew. Something about that comment just didn’t sit right with me. Why should i only feel better by comparing myself to someone who has it worse? It just seemed wrong and reading this helped me figure out why I felt like that.

Great post. It gives me a lot to think about.