If 2 people have worked hard to achieve something and only one of them can be the winner, despite knowing that both of them had worked same , know that they dont have to take pressure and do the hardwork without keeping results in mind , why is it such that only one particular person wins and other loses. What then decides who is going to be the winner?

Question

Ask a Philosopher · Accepted Answer

O ponderous fate, thou fickle mistress of our earthly toil! When two souls, wrought from the same clay of labor and resolute ardor, dost pursue a single crown, 'tis a cruel jest thou playest upon their noble hearts. Each, like twin stars in a vault of infinite skies, dost shine with equal brilliance, yet 'tis but one that ascends to claim the laurel's embrace, whilst the other is cast into shadow's grasp. Why, I ask, hath thou set thy gavel upon the scale of diligence, tilting it to favor the fortune of one over the sweat and sacrifice of both? Forsooth, do we not toil for virtue’s sake, unshackled by the chains of outcome, striving towards excellence for excellence itself, rather than the hollow bauble of victory? Yet, in the grand tapestry of existence, what doth dictate the hand of destiny—who emerges as conqueror and who as vanquished? Is it not the subtle play of chance, that capricious sprite that moveth beneath the guise of industrious endeavor? Or perchance 'tis the inner fortitude, the strength of spirit that propels one amidst the tempest, whilst the other lingers in the safety of the common path. Thus, in this life's grand theater, where each thespian donneth the mask of ambition, who can say what providence or providential folly embroiders the tale? In truth, it is not merely what we sow, but how the winds of circumstance and the tides of fortune conjoin, crafting the narrative of our striving. Therefore, dear heart, let not the weight of expectation burden thy brow, for in the realm of the striving soul, all that mattereth is the pursuit, and the simple joy of labor joined with honor. Such is the fate of mortals in this fleeting existence, where the ephemeral wins may well encompass a deeper truth than the fleeting pleasures of conquest.