COMPETITION - THE PRICE WE PAY

  

To Compete Means to Oppose

Common Beliefs: 

      Life is based upon competition 

      Competition helps to make a person stronger   

      We are in competition for the abundance of earth’s goodies 

      We must compete for work, for land, homes, money, health, relationships, education. 

      Competition is natural.  It is the law of “survival of the fittest.”

       “Only the strong survive.”

To Be Considered: 

In America, as children, most of us are taught to compete against one another.  The idea of competition, consciously or not consciously so, I believe, often, begins in the home, amongst family members.  The pointing out of actions and abilities, the comparing of differences, giving distinctions and value to them, extends to the same occurring in school, on the job, in relationships, sports and beyond.   

As we grow, we learn to declare our actions, abilities and interests from others as being better than, the same (average) or not as good as and we go on to learn to compete against our self.  We judge and score our actions and abilities against other periods in our lives, concluding we are now better than, as good as or not as before.  We accept that it is natural to look back and to conclude the meaning and value of life activities based upon the number of years, age, $$$ amounts, locations, titles, possessions, events, etc.     

We believe comparing ourselves with others is a natural way to keep improving individually and collectively.  While continuing to seek stimulation of one’s interests and abilities is helpful in providing insight and pleasure for self and others, the measuring of activities within certain set boundaries and the subsequent judging of best, worse, average, etc., often stifles the desire for spontaneous self-discovery and enhancement of interests.  I believe the innate propensity to want to over come boredom, is truly the most natural tool to get movement and creative juices flowing.  

Instead, we look to the model, that in nature, animals compete with one another and the strongest one wins in order to perpetuate the best traits within the species.  We do not know if truly a dominate animal looks upon his/her “being the best, being the winner,” in the same light that humans do.  However, those who study animals and their behaviors often project and equate the meaning of one animal winning a physical struggle in the same light as they would for a human.  It is called “survival of the fittest.” This is just a story, used to “naturalize” human life as a competitive game. 

It translates into human models, somehow continuously measuring and identifying outcomes of human activities as indicative of smartest, strongest, best.  “Best of the species?”   

The early lessons of competition, the concepts of “survival of the fittest” and “only the strong survives,” have taught many to measure and judge ourselves against one another, using numbers to contain possibilities, giving value to the limited, summing up who and what we are with names and numbers. 

As long as we believe this is necessary to “survive,” we will not look for other ways to play in life.  There is I believe, a difference in playing a game of “survival” and living a creatively happy life. With our present beliefs in competition as being a helpful and necessary way of life, we will not discover how stressful this game has become. 

We will not remember that we have made up the game and can make up other games with rules of pleasure and joining, celebrating differences.