Remember that school riddle? The one where you had a line on a slate and the challenge was to make it look smaller without, you know, erasing it or shrinking it? The answer, of course, was to simply draw a longer line right beside it. Suddenly, your original line looked… well, chota (small).
It’s such a simple, almost silly, trick. But it’s also a profound truth we live by every single day, often without even realizing it. On Instagram, on Facebook, at work, in our colony gossip circles—comparison is everywhere. And yes, it’s true what they say: comparison is the thief of joy. We’ve all felt that pang of anxiety, that knot of inadequacy, when we scroll through someone’s highlight reel on social media while we’re stuck living our behind-the-scenes. It makes you feel like your perfectly good life is suddenly… small.
But what if we could flip this riddle on its head? What if we could use this very human tendency to compare, not to steal our joy, but to cultivate it?
This isn’t about being smug or looking down on anyone. Not at all. It’s about consciously, deliberately, and wisely choosing your environment. Think about it: if you’re surrounded by people who are constantly upgrading, perpetually chasing the next big thing—a bigger car, a fancier house, international holidays every other month—what happens to you? You feel the pressure, don’t you? The dreaded FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) kicks in, and suddenly your perfectly good Maruti Wagon R feels inadequate. You find yourself caught in that relentless rat race, burning yourself out just to keep up with the imaginary ‘Joneses’ (who probably have their own Joneses to keep up with anyway). Lifestyle inflation becomes your uninvited guest, eating away at your peace and your pocket.
Now, imagine a different scenario. Imagine your neighbours, your close friends, are happy with their Hyundai i10s or their perfectly functional scooters. And you, my friend, pull up in your practical, comfortable SUV. What’s the feeling then? A quiet contentment, isn’t it? Suddenly, your SUV isn’t just a car; it’s a statement of comfort and abundance, purely by comparison. You don’t feel the compulsion to upgrade, to prove anything. You just… are.
This isn’t just about cars, of course. It’s about everything. It’s about the schools your kids go to, the holidays you take, the clothes you wear, the biryani you order. When you deliberately surround yourself with people who are, let’s say, a ‘notch below’ your current earning or spending capacity, something magical happens. The constant pressure to spend, to impress, to ‘keep up’ simply vanishes.
And when that compulsion is removed, something else blossoms: the joy of accumulation. Your mind frees up. You can breathe. You can think about saving, investing, building real wealth, not just chasing fleeting status symbols. That fear of missing out transforms into the joy of being present.
So, before you try to make your line look smaller by desperately drawing an even bigger one next to it in the hopes of impressing someone, pause.
Ask yourself: How big a line do I really want to draw in the first place?
Sometimes, the smartest move isn’t to run faster, but to simply choose a different race track. It’s about curating your comparisons, not eliminating them. And in doing so, finding your own spacious, peaceful home in this crazy, competitive world.
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