Well, grading on a curve in the classroom and competing in the marketplace for a job

against others of similar skill sets and abilities, sports team, tryouts, you know, in so many

areas of life, we get compared and graded based on the performance of our peers.

And we benefit from their failures.

This dynamic can't feed in us a toxic pride when those failures of others will advance

us.

So how do we seek the good of others when others are our rivals?

It's a very good question today from an international high school student named Clara.

Dear Pastor John, thank you for your ministry.

I'm writing because of a problem that disturbs my following of Christ.

I'm a high school student living in South Korea.

I read in scripture about the self-conceit and pride that is really sinful, especially

looking down on others and trying to be better than someone out of pride.

However, the high school grading system in South Korea is based on comparative evaluation

where I get better grades when others fail.

So how do I love my neighbor in this atmosphere of comparative evaluation where I benefit

from the failures of my neighbor?

Even though Clara doesn't ask my opinion about this grading system, I'm going to make

a comment about it before I answer her more important question about how to love people.

A system of student evaluation that only communicates a person's competencies in relation

to other students is not useful, it's not helpful in preparing a student for life in

the real world.

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