Wikipedia describes this adage as “A comparison of apples and oranges occurs when two items or groups of items are compared that cannot be practically compared. The idiom, comparing apples and oranges, refers to the apparent differences between items which are popularly thought to be incomparable or incommensurable, such as apples and oranges”
All good if you are comparing data or quite different scenarios then yes, go ahead and
compare apples and oranges. I am writing this article about comparison in general and the ones we create (yes create) in our minds, so let us stick with the fruit for now.
Both placed strategically on a dining room or kitchen table in a bowl; a beautiful red crispy gala (yes that is its name- I checked), the one the witch used to entice snow white. Let us call this juicy delicious fruit – gala- one bite and you hear that crispy sound and the flavour bursts in your mouth a rough fruity texture with a soft and fleshy chew, that could send a princess to sleep for weeks. That’s the one – gala. Juicy, fruity red tempting apple.
Next to Gala in the same bowl is an orange ball of sunshine, picked from a tree in an orchard far away, as you pick this fruit up you can smell the bursts of citrus and flavour. Always wondering if when you peal or slice, will that first bite be sweet or a little tangy? This is an orange. We are reminded of this fruit from our childhood – half time slices at a game, peeling segments and sharing with our friends, seeing who can peel the whole fruit without breaking any and of course, squirting the skin into your friends face (maybe that was just me).
So there we have it, two vastly different fruits in the same beautiful glass bowl. So why should we compare them, they have so much in common. Both can be used in a fruit salad, both are great for breakfast, they both make great juices, both provide us with fibre, vitamins and loads of nutrition but what do we do? We compare! We always compare.
So how do we avoid comparison at all – when its such a natural thing to do – if you are operating from ego that is-
1. Same in difference
There is a collectiveness about us, sure we are all different but that is our oneness. Humans. Appreciate that. We are in this human race together. Some may be faster, some slower, some walking, some flying but here we all are, together, do not compare your journey in this human race with another we are all the same. You will do a lot better to find our sameness than to search for the things that make us differ.
2. One fingerprint – one you
You are unique. That is it. However, social media, series and movies, oversharing and insensitivity to your uniqueness is overcrowding that specialness that is YOU, think about it. There are a gazillion of us on this rock and yet not one other person has your fingerprints, your cells, your genetic make-up or even your thoughts (good or bad) its YOU, how can you then compare to anyone – scientifically it’s not possible, yet we do it all the time. Find that thing that YOUness and embrace it out loud and wear it like a crown, there is not another you on this earth. How special, how amazing, how very perfectly imperfect we all are. What a wonder to marvel at. YOU!
3. The one to beat
This race called life is against one person. YOU! You only have to be better than you were yesterday, or not. But be you, that is the key. We tend to have FOMO or follow celebrities or fads or trends or hashtag this and hashtag that, or wear this and try that, it’s a lot of pressure
I personally believe this may be the cause of some very serious anxiety. Comparison! Do not do it.
Look in the mirror and say “that there. That’s who I want to be, that’s my apple, my Gala, my Orange my segmented pieces and all of me!” remember too, people don’t really care about comparison we are all too busy wondering if we are good enough for each other, now that’s a fruit to bite – how’d you like them apples.
If you are competing and comparing you will lose because you do not know what the object of your comparison had to endure, win, or carry to be where they are.
So pick yourself up and look the person you were yesterday and say “tomorrow I will do better” or “I was wonderful yesterday- I want to be him/her again” go inside first and then come out as a better or the same amazing YOU. I have a friend who says “May your vibes shift the whole damn frequency of the room when you walk in”
To end off with a quote by Dr Seuss – my fav line from “oh the places you’ll go”
‘I’m afraid that sometimes
you will play lonely games too.
Games you can’t win
’cause you’ll play against you’.
And remember to eat your fruit