Trophies And Awards

There is a debate going on about giving awards to everyone simply for participation.  There are no losers, and for that matter, no winners.  The “for” side says that it enhances self-esteem.  The agin’ side says that it limits people pushing themselves.  Personally, I found that awarding the winners and those who do well, was a good thing.  One, it made the award special to me.  I saved all my running medals, gold, silver, bronze and put them on a board that I hung in my room for years.  Two, I found out what I was good at and what I was not good at, and the sense of failure, did not so much lower my self-esteem, as get me to give up what I was bad at, and go on to what I was good at.  I could not hit the curve ball, so I gave up baseball.  I took up cross-country running.  Failure was the indication to me to move on to something else.  No one is good at everything.  I think that self-esteem comes from doing what you do well, rather than from getting participation awards.  No one wants to hire and pay me for simply showing up and doing a so so job for the wage.