Why would being objective about someone elses achievements relative to your own discourage anybody? That's a motivation to try harder not to give up, after all, it shows you what is possible.

Just like hearing Jehudi Menuhin play should not cause you to burn your violin but to practice.

I'm not putting algorithms on a pedestal, I'm putting that particular example of all the algorithms available up as the one that I ran in to which taught me that I (still!) have a lot to learn.