Being The Best

 One of my superiors at work will sometimes tell me that I am the best. Logically, I am aware that it is a largely empty compliment, and probably deviod of any real meaning. Emotionally, I appreciate it, and it makes me feel a little better.

At work tonight, I was at a station wherein we load parts into baskets, which are then carried through a large machine that washes them of contaminents (oil, cardboard dust, etc.) before bringing them to the assembly area of our department. I spent the night loading in the first three (of six) parts, while someone else loaded in the second three. Over the course of the night, four separate people loaded in the second three parts. 

It was mildly unsettling watching faces come and go as the hours passed. Certainly, I was glad to see the first person depart; his performance at this station was abysmal. He worked slowly and put in minimal effort, predictably falling behind in his work to an unacceptable degree. A second person had to be called over just to help him. We needed two people just to load three parts, and these are not especially large or heavy parts either (heaviest part is 19 pounds). Add to that the fact that both persons kept dropping garbage on the floor and made no effort whatsoever to clean up said garbage, I feel that my relief in being rid of them to be justified.

For the record, the loading station isn't an especially difficult one. While two people should be sufficient in most cases, it can actually be manned by a single person. Provided, of course, that the line is running slowly enough and the person there actually knows what they are doing. I should know this to be true - I have been that single person several times in the past.

I can no longer empathize with them; I have become too good at this post. I see them struggle, and am baffled as to why they struggle with what is so easy for me. I learned, I got better.

The late Terry Pratchett wrote about being the best in one of his books (I don't recall which one exactly, but I believe it was Lords and Ladies). The price of being the best is that you have to be the best. If someone comes to you with a challenge to your skill, you have to face it head-on. "The Twilight Zone" had an episode that looked at this as well. When you're the best, you have to deal with an endless parade of upstarts who think that because they have some skill, that they are a match for you. The fastest way to reach the top is to usurp whoever is already there.

The idea of being the best at something has a quiet horror to it. If you're the best, then that means that literally EVERYONE else is not as good at whatever it is you are best at. Being the best doesn't even require that you ARE good at something, not really. It just requires that everyone else be worse than you are.