Help me regain my thirst for knowledge

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around feelings of jealousy and competition in an academic setting, particularly how these emotions impact one's motivation and enjoyment of learning. Participants share personal experiences and coping strategies related to academic performance and peer comparison.

Discussion Character

  • Meta-discussion
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses feelings of jealousy towards peers who achieve better grades, contrasting this with their previous focus on personal knowledge and learning.
  • Another participant seeks clarification on whether the jealousy stems from a shift in focus from learning to competition.
  • A different participant shares that they use competitive feelings as motivation to improve academically, suggesting that jealousy can fuel a desire to work harder.
  • Some participants express discomfort with the competitive aspect of learning, preferring to focus on personal enjoyment rather than comparison with others.
  • One participant notes that sharing these feelings in the forum provides a sense of relief, despite uncertainty about the appropriateness of discussing personal emotions in this context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a mix of feelings regarding competition and jealousy, with some finding motivation in these emotions while others reject the competitive mindset in favor of personal enjoyment in learning. No consensus is reached on the best approach to handle these feelings.

Contextual Notes

Participants' experiences and feelings are subjective and may depend on individual definitions of success and motivation. The discussion does not resolve the complexities surrounding competition and personal satisfaction in academic settings.

jd12345
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Okay guys - I hope you all can help me ... maybe someone out there has gone through similar experiences.
There are some smart guys out there in my college and I feel very jealous when they score and I do not. Earlier I didn't care about how others performed, I was only focused on my knowledge.
I love studying and learning new things but this feeling of jealousy is killing me. I don't want to have it but still can't help it.
 
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Just to clarify your problem: you're saying you used to be satisfied just learning but now you have become envious of people who get better grades?
 
I use that feeling of competition to help me focus on working hard. There are kids in my class who generally do better than I do, but lately I have improved and I'm pretty sure that I'm ahead of them. This makes me feel a lot better about myself, but I couldn't have gotten here if I hadn't been jealous of them in the first place, since that was sort of what helped fuel my desire to improve.
 
zoobyshoe said:
Just to clarify your problem: you're saying you used to be satisfied just learning but now you have become envious of people who get better grades?
That's correct.

SHISHKABOB said:
I use that feeling of competition to help me focus on working hard. There are kids in my class who generally do better than I do, but lately I have improved and I'm pretty sure that I'm ahead of them. This makes me feel a lot better about myself, but I couldn't have gotten here if I hadn't been jealous of them in the first place, since that was sort of what helped fuel my desire to improve.
Maybe that would help me get better but I don't like the competitive feeling. I don't like comparing myself with others. I just want to enjoy learning.

Although I am not sure why am I saying all this on this forum, but still it makes me feel better to share this with some unknown people
 

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