I have heard a bit too much about war these days. Too much conflict. Too much death. I would argue that it does not have to be this way.

Competition is good. Healthy, too. If you like The Bible, you can look at Proverbs.

As iron sharpens iron, so can one person sharpen another.

Proverbs 27:17

If you like things to be business-focused, then here you go. Having someone to go up against makes you try harder.

I was told that when you find a running partner, you should look for someone that is a touch faster than you are. That will push you to try harder. (It was never explained to me who the faster runner was supposed to be challenged by. Is everyone supposed to have two running buddies? Then everyone gets what they need?)

In a series about William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer, it was reported that the two men only met one time. When they did, the two who had been rivals for decades were apparently quite civil to each other. A dramatization of their conversation is located here. It was towards the end of their time in the spotlight, so maybe that is why they were less-inclined to destroy the other.

I hear words like “cut-throat” and “to the death.” Those do not jive with me. Let the competition be fun. As always, we could steal a page or two from comic books.

DC and Marvel are supposed to be rivals. The pure, good company, and the realistic, darker world. But creators from both sides read and appreciate the others’ work. A well-told tale is that, even if another company publishes it. That has been the state of comics for years. The higher-ups of both companies would play golf together. When DC bragged about how well Justice League comics were doing, it led to Marvel trying to steal some of their thunder by launching Fantastic Four. No Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern team-ups? Then there would be no Johnny, Reed, Sue, and Ben. One made the other better.

You could sit around arguing who is the fastest character. Or, you could put them both on screen and have fun. They can compete and not want to kill each other.

The most popular results that come up when you search “friendly rivals” online are sports teams. I know nothing about sports. But, sports in movies? That I can appreciate. What better friendly rivalry than Rocky and Apollo? They fight, they punch, but they still respect each other.

Even the creators of movies are okay being friends and still vying for that #1 box office spot. There is a long tradition, which I love.

• It all started when Star Wars beat Jaws.
• Then E.T. came along and unseated Star Wars.
• Of course, the Star Wars re-release beat E.T.
• Then Titanic outdid Star Wars.
• The head of Marvel gave kudos when Jurassic World was bigger than Avengers.
• Jurassic World tipped its T-Rex head to Star Wars- Episode VII: The Force Awakens
• And Star Wars VII passed the baton to Avengers: Endgame.
• When Avengers: Endgame unseated Titanic, they were congratulated.
• Also when the they beat Avatar.
• When Avatar took the A-spot, Marvel rejoiced with them.

Then, there is my favorite. When two people are not supposed to get along. When political opposites are in the same room together. Yet, they can poke fun at the other, tease the other, and by doing so, not take themselves too seriously. Be rivals, yes. Stoke each other’s fire. But at the end, do it with mirth. Do it with grace. Do it like these two.