How quickly we learn the desire to be great. The quest to become "number one" is a given in our competitive society. To some degree it is what fosters achievement and causes people to strive for excellence. Few people succeed without a fairly strong motivation to be foremost in their field. That’s the positive side.

The negative side has to do with the absence of compassion and the undue pride that can go along with ambition. We can feel sorry for losers, but we prefer to associate with winners. Nothing pleases a student body more than a crucial victory by their team culminating in the chant, "We’re number one; we’re number one!" We look for and expect the recognition and reward that come with a promotion as we aim to move up another notch on the corporate ladder. And, if we end up disapp…