I am very disturbed by the attitude that whoever you are, or wherever you come from, or whatever sport team you root for, you or they are number one. This is an attitude that is common to all humans, and I am not an exception, but one that can be easily pushed to an insane level. We obviously all can't be number one, exceptional, the greatest, or whatever superlative you want to use. I would prefer to think of it as a place to aspire to, not one which is cheaply or easily attained and even less to be bragged about. One of my doctoral committee members commented on my dissertation that he was somewhat disappointed that I had not taken it further. I said that I well knew my limitations, but he quickly answered that I had no right to judge my own work one way or another, as that was up to others. I think he was right!
We are always on a journey that only ends when we die. It is fine that we strive to be the best in some activity or other, but even if we achieve it, it is very temporary and often does not give us the pleasure we thought it would. In addition "We're Number One" is often a cover for self-centered egotism and denigration of others. In "The Art Spirit," Robert Henri, the American artist, voiced his suspicion of prizes given for art work, because he said that art was not easily quantified. I agree with Henri's opinion, as it is really hard to judge which art is the best. This is also true in theater, music, and other art forms. It is also difficult to judge the best in science and a number of very worthy scientists have never gotten a Nobel Prize. Also a few who received a prize may not have deserved it. In social and political activism one can easily point to a number of outstanding contributors to peace who never got the award.
In professional and advanced amateur sports it is easier to quantify, but when a team beats another by a last minute goal or run does this imply that the loosing team is truly inferior? When I was younger I rooted for the Brooklyn Dodgers and was ecstatic when they won a World Series. But life goes on and in retrospect the Dodgers that year were good, but (as they won the title in the ninth inning of the seventh game) not really better than the New York Yankees (may I burn in hell for admitting that!) Also, the bloom of rooting for a winning team soon wore off as I continued to deal with real life.
In fact we are relatively short-lived creatures. Omar Khayyam said it well:
"They say the Lion and the Lizard keep
The Courts where Jamshýd gloried and drank deep,
And Bahrám, that great Hunter, --the wild Ass
Stamps o'er his Head, and he lies fast asleep" Edward Fitzgerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Fame, power and riches are indeed fleeting, for as Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher/Roman emperor, reminded himself every day "Remember you must die."
The situation gets even more complicated when we talk about nations. We like to think of our country as "exceptional", and in a way it is. Most countries are exceptional in one way or another - some have better art, or food, or educational systems. In my view our exceptionalism comes from our (at least in the past) melting pot of numerous nationalities, including our native Americans. Yes, they have not always gotten along and slavery was an especially dark stain on our national history, as were the massacres of Native Americans, but despite that, the ideals laid out in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are certainly exceptional (not that the latter can't be altered to more closely fit the times - that's what amendments are for!) That we have often not lived up to them is another matter. I wince when some political speech is given including "exceptional" or "God-inspired" as I think that is awfully close to country worship. Remember the line in "Grand Old Flag" that goes "With never a boast or brag?" Well, that sounds a lot like bragging to me. "We're number one" and "USA, USA, USA" sound more like a cheering section at a high school football game than a really patriotic modesty.
We used to console ourselves with the thought that if life was fleeting, along with power and acclaim, at least our species was the pinnacle of creation, but in 1859 Charles Darwin took us down off our high horse with "The Origin of Species," and really finished it off in 1871 with "The Descent of Man." To a large extent we are still speciesists, but the times are changing. I often think of Kipling's Bandarlogs when I see how we pride ourselves on technology that is supposed to serve us but may end our existence. With our war machines and ability to use technology to swindle others or replace them with robots, we will be lucky if we survive into the next century.
Don't get me wrong, our species has done some remarkable things. The invention of writing, mathematics, the wheel, the inclined plane, the lever, music, literature, art, science and philosophy, are all great achievements. The human brain is a marvel and our complex societies often exhibit rich cultures. But we are also an ecological disaster and in some part of the world in constant warfare against our fellow man. We are literally breeding ourselves into a hole and altering our environment in ways that threaten our continued existence. What we could be is a question, as I am not one to believe in human perfectibility, but we surely could be better.
Our planet was once thought to be the center of everything, until Copernicus dethroned it. We still hold "Miss Universe" contests, but I have yet to see even a Miss Mars, let alone a Miss Orion's Belt. We have Universal Films, Universe this and universe that, cosmic this and cosmic that, and yet out planet is not even a dust speck in a universe that spans billions of light years! Despite this humble state, we are, according to some religions, just a little lower than the angels. Even non-religious people seem to think that we are really wonderful and will eventually reach some level of human perfection. Others believe that we should bravely stare the uncaring void of our own existence and eventual death in the face despite the tragedy of the meaninglessness of our puny lives. This view too is still centered on the human species as a tragic figure of monumental proportions. For myself, I have come to the conclusion that our existence is only as meaningful as we make it. Why should the universe give a damn about us? Why should we even expect it? To quote a well-known poet on the subject:
"Looking up at the stars, I know quite well
That, for all they care, I can go to hell,
But on earth indifference is the least
We have to dread from man or beast." - W. H. Auden
Isn't it enough to live one life as a part of the whole? Is not the experience of life, with all its pain and joys, enough for us? It seems to be greedy to ask for either eternal life (the Judeo-Christian-Muslim concept), a future of human perfection, or some sort of medal of valor for facing the meaninglessness head on. I think the Existentialists are essentially correct, you have to make your own meaning through your own aspirations, your family, your friends and associates, your relationship to the natural world, and a determination to make the current world better (without the expectation of perfectibility), even if in a small way, by your efforts. These are enough for me. I don't need to be number one.