Versus

20 September, 2020

Everything these days seems to be a competition. A drive to convince us that one thing is better than another. Competing products, competing ideas, competing methods and styles. In the end, all that competition is an effort to grab market share and mindshare and, of course, profits.

All that competition is manufactured. The folks spurring on that competition want us to believe otherwise, though. They want to make us believe that our lives and our lifestyles would be diminished if we don’t latch on to whatever they’re foisting.

In 2015, I went on a small electronics buying spree. One of the devices I bought was a Pebble Time smartwatch. Sure, I could have gone with the more expensive option and snatched up an Android Wear or Samsung or Apple smartwatch. I didn’t, and still don’t, need everything that the fanboys tout as being great about their particular devices. My Pebble Time was simple, which is a key feature that I look for in many a device.

Maybe the world would be a better place if we didn’t constantly strive to crush our enemies, see them driven before us, and hear the lamentation of their village folk. Maybe it would be a better place if we let everything find its niche or its market and not worry about the choices of others.

Scott Nesbitt