I'm sure you know this, but that's a very dangerous mindset! People aren't meant to be compared; comparison implies a winner and a loser. The truth is that there are no losers here, just different people walking different paths.
While I agree, unfortunately life is very much like a competition. If there's a job opening many people may apply but likely only one person will get it. Or if a team has a limited amount to use for bonuses, some will get more than others. Or if you're in love, that other person may choose or another person to be their partner.
Whether we like it or not, we are constantly being compared, and there is indeed a winner or loser. I'd argue that we shouldn't try to trick ourselves into thinking that there are no winners or losers, but to accept that it is totally okay, and even good, to lose.
How do you know? Maybe the other person doesn't even get a bonus. And even if that's the case, the people who are eligible for the bonus are still being compared, which is the point I was trying to prove. You and everyone else is constantly being compared to others.
But if you'd like, we could consider another case where we have two employees who have the same position. Since we're on HN lets say we have two junior devs. If the company decides it doesn't need both employees, one of them will be laid off. Obviously the person in charge will have to compare the two and decide which one to let go.
