I read this morning that to drop out of the rat race, all you need to do is to realise its absurdity, stop taking it so seriously and stop competing. Unfortunately my own experience suggests that if you try to do that, not only do you stop competing to climb the career ladder but people will also try to take what you have away from you. They will try to take over your current job, try to reduce your salary at no direct benefit to themselves, try to steal your partner even. People compare themselves not to what they could be or what they could achieve themselves, but instead compare themselves to others around them. So “progress” in the rat race is made not only by climbing but also by pulling others down. This perceived gap is what people seek (although acknowledgment of that is hidden by self-denial) and to stay alive and comfortable in the rat race world of today, you need to compete just to stay where you are. In short, people are bastards.
Liam Mor's Blog