i double-dog-dare ya!

In past posts, I have alluded to the fact that people are generally prideful. What amazes me, however, is how young this sense of pride is developed in us. Kids are super competitive and hate the idea of losing at anything. I always have to call kids out when I see them cheat at a game. They are too proud to lose. Another area where this is evident is how kids always dare each other to do things. And usually the kid being dared actually does it! I mean, I was dared and even double-dog-dared as a kid. And I'm sure I went through with the dare every time. Why? Because my pride wouldn't allow me to be the pansy or wuss who backed out on a dare. Especially a dare as strong as a double-dog-dare. In fact, in college, that was one of the things people knew about me. I was the guy willing to do just about anything. Why? My pride. Hindsight being 20/20, I realize how silly that concept is. What would have really happened to me if I said no to a dare? Originally I may have been ridiculed, but eventually people would have forgotten about it. Nothing actually demanded or forced me going through with a dare except for my pride. I mean, most kids at some point play truth or dare. Some people always took truth. Some people always took dare. And once you took the dare, you did it no matter what. Why? What would have happened if you didn't do it? One of our students stuck her head in a toilet during truth or dare during our Youth Convention last year. I'm sorry, but you couldn't even pay me to do it. Sadly, when I was a kid, I probably would have done it too. Isn't it amazing what lengths we'll go to in order to maintain a solid sense of pride? I think it's ridiculous.