By Warren Wong
Life is a contest. Some play by the principles, others stay to interrupt them. Some are enjoying the sport, and others don’t know they’re in a single in any respect. Within the sport of life, there are winners and losers. Competitors for sources, mates, standing, and even associates, that is the life we stay in. Is that this actuality or is there extra that meets the attention? At this time we’re going to discover how competitors drives our actions, lives and how one can come to phrases with it.
Survival of the Fittest
“Survival of the fittest” – the concept organisms which can be finest tailored to their surroundings usually tend to survive and reproduce – is the premise of life, and the competitors that forces us to adapt.
The lion is commonly touted because the king of the jungle, well-known for its energy, as an apex predator. There’s few different animals that may rival it, not to mention face it in a single on one fight.
But, lions get confined in zoos on a regular basis, with a fraction of the land they usually roam within the wild. If the lion could be subjugated by people, does that make us one step above the lion?
Maybe distinctive to the remainder of the animal kingdom, people have quickly risen to the highest with our advanced reasoning, cooperation, and problem-solving expertise. Not having to fret about different species being a menace has allowed our civilization to flourish, with over 8 billion folks around the globe.
Competitors Dynamics
People have clearly dominated throughout the animal kingdom with our instruments, know-how, and intelligence. Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless fierce competitors amongst ourselves.
Nations, cities, companies, and teams compete for land, sources, political leverage, and human capital. Competitors manifests in wars, political campaigns, hostile enterprise takeovers, and disinformation. Folks compete for something and all the things – usually leaving many behind.
Even amongst our friends there’s a lot at stake. We put our greatest foot ahead when signaling to potential mates. We put in additional hours, schmooze with the boss, and go to “networking” occasions within the hopes of rising up the company ladder. We steer conversations to comfy topics the place we are able to shine, enjoying standing video games with associates and strangers.
Competitors dynamics is a continuing theme in our lives, some extra refined than others. Typically they’re unconscious, and also you’re unaware you’re enjoying into them and different occasions you’re actively competing and taking deliberate steps to win.
Winners and Losers
Every time there’s a contest there’s winners and losers. There will likely be those who do higher than others. Some gamers have sure benefits, whereas others are at a drawback. Life could be unfair. Some have been born in nations the place rule of legislation and establishments are properly established and others the place corruption and chaos is rampant. A few of us have been born with two loving dad and mom, and a few into damaged households. Life could be merciless and unfair, which sadly devolves into teams of winners and losers. Not everybody can go dwelling with a trophy.
Taking a step again into historical past could be revealing. Historical past just isn’t type to losers, because it’s largely written by the victors. The losers often find yourself subjugated or worse. In peacetime, the specter of bodily hazard isn’t excessive as in occasions of conflict, the final word competitors. Maybe, as a byproduct, most individuals measure life by the sport of cash. You may rely it, know what you should purchase, and it’s not summary. It turns into the default option to evaluate with others who’re enjoying the identical sport.
If we use cash as a measure of in-game success we see a noticeable distinction between its gamers – the disparity between the have and have nots. The creating world distinctly reveals how life is on the shedding finish. Shedding could imply lack of primary requirements resembling meals, working water or a correct training and in different circumstances, demise.
Nevertheless, competitors isn’t simply measured by cash. Different sides of life like family and friends, profession success, and peace of thoughts have worth too. There’s no clear guidelines on this “competitors”. Nobody says, “that is the sport, listed below are the principles, and right here’s how one can win.” It’s all metaphorical.
Governments attempt to dictate “guidelines” by means of legal guidelines, usually derived from unfair aggressive benefits: dishonest, violence, exploitation. Nevertheless, legal guidelines could be circumvented and loopholes exploited.
Legal guidelines are supposed to present safeguards in opposition to unfair competitors. Is there a distinction between a hostile company takeover and a bunch of gangsters violently taking territory and product from a rival gang? Each are thought-about useful resource acquisitions, one enjoying throughout the confines of the legislation and the opposite taking issues into their very own palms. Most individuals would agree that rule of legislation is vital and demanding to civilized society, however what occurs when there are those who skirt the principles with a purpose to achieve a aggressive benefit?
Perception in our establishments present us with an organized and in any other case truthful means through which to compete. Meritocratic societies intention to offer its residents with entry to training, banking, rule of legislation, and financial alternatives with a purpose to maintain the competitors “truthful” amongst its gamers. When a few of its gamers wish to achieve an unfair aggressive benefit whether or not out of necessity or failure of the system to offer its residents with enough sources, they’ll resort to breaking the principles, often with tragic penalties. Whether or not it’s justified is an ethical debate.
Penalties and Correction
Having explored the present state of our society, what occurs when the have and have nots develop into too excessive? Normally there’s a correction in the case of a boiling level. Historical past is affected by examples, the Russian and French Revolution, alongside scores of dictatorship and communist regimes are a sobering reminder. The battle between winners and losers is properly represented in historical past.
What are the results when the rule of legislation doesn’t permit for its residents to stay a good life? Are they justified in overthrowing their oppressors by no matter means mandatory? Does the federal government have a accountability to forestall these tragedies? These are simply a few of the inquiries to ponder in an try to raised perceive the aggressive nature of life and our function inside it.
We’re now not within the days of small tribal warfare, however not a lot has modified. We’re extra interconnected than ever earlier than, with know-how bridging giant distances. The character of competitors has remained the identical. There’s nonetheless an enormous hole between the have and have nots. A fast look of the ongoing humanitarian help efforts will inform all. It might be a sign of unfettered capitalism or simply human greed.
What occurs when the divide is just too giant to disregard? If historical past is any indicator, there will likely be a correction with violence relative to the dimensions of how skewed the inequality amongst its gamers are.
Play Or Not Play
In case you’re this far alongside, you would possibly suppose that I’ve painted a grim image of the competitors dynamics and also you need no a part of it, not less than not contribute to it. If this can be a competitors, ought to I even take part? What are the prices of enjoying? What are the prices of not enjoying? Can I beat the sport? These are a few of the ideas that come to thoughts. Maybe, defining the competitors could present a clearer understanding of the sport.
In the end this turns into a query of your values and morals. What are your values? What do you consider is true and incorrect? If we play the sport, how will we play ethically? Are you able to watch as those who break the principles and amass fortunes whereas those that are toiling away are barely getting by? Will you develop into jaded and develop into a villain your self? The solutions to those questions will kind your individual private definition of the competitors, and the way you compete.
I consider there’s a fragile stability between enjoying the sport, profitable the sport, and exiting the sport. If we select to not play the sport in any respect what does that seem like? Maybe it’s dwelling off grid, constructing a small cabin away from society and dwelling off the land. Spending your hours farming and amassing rainwater with a purpose to stay. Might you might have a household and supply for them? This was the fact for a lot of pre-industrialization, a tough life.
In case you do play the sport, how do you achieve this in a means that’s inline together with your morals and beliefs? Do you grit your tooth as you slog by means of life, preventing for standing trophies, potential mates, and paper cash? To some extent all of us play the sport. Maybe the reply is to play the sport with compassion for our fellow gamers, to compete, however not depart others behind – to be a beacon of hope for these dealt a foul hand reasonably than search victory at the price of others.
So if this can be a sport, then there should be a option to win. If life is a contest and everyone seems to be a participant on this socially engineered sport, then there should be traits that equate to victory. Maybe its cash, standing, a mate, or self-actualization. Profitable the sport may very well be all of the above or not one of the above, it’s reasonably a private alternative, even an arbitrary objective for others. I consider that with a purpose to win the sport you have to play to a sure level, declare self-victory, and exit.
There’s no finish to the sport. Life as a contest is a mirrored image of human needs, the foundation of our struggling. Curb your needs, the foundation of greed, and luxuriate in what you’ve already attained. For my part, that is the best way to win the sport.
Conclusion
Is the tough actuality that life’s a contest, and there’s winners and losers? Maybe it’s a simplified means of it, nevertheless it’s on the core of why we do most of the issues we do. It’s onerous to disclaim that we’re all within the throes of competitors. Whether or not you’re competing at work, your relationships, or climbing your means up on this planet, these are all aggressive in nature. Whereas we’re competing, that doesn’t imply we now have to be ruthless, however be compassionate to our fellow rivals.
Whereas the sport is enjoyable for some, and may play for many years on finish, I consider most wish to exit the sport in some unspecified time in the future – taking our wins and leaving the sport behind. I don’t advocate utterly leaving society and never enjoying in any respect. I don’t consider most of us would get pleasure from foraging for our personal meals and constructing shelter ourselves. We should be taught to stay on this world, constructed on hierarchies and standing video games, and discover stability inside it, so we are able to stay true to ourselves and our values. Life could also be one huge competitors, however we are able to select how one can play.