To Compete or Not to Compete

Competition has a time and place in which it is appropriate. The one and only circumstance under which a person should compete is when the opponent is themselves. When one competes with their present self in order to see a better self in the future, great things can happen. We should all strive to win in the race for self improvement.

What does it mean if you win a competition at which you are more skilled or experienced? It simply means you are more skilled or experienced. What if the victor is left with the impression that they are the “best”? Where does he or she go next? Perhaps motivation is lost when one competes with others and wins. When competing with ones self, however, there is no limit to “best” because you are in a never ending rivalry with your present “best.”

It seems to me that even competition for food and other resources is a negative concept. It is true that other animals need to compete for necessities even to the point of what some would call violence. Be that as it may, human beings are very different in the sense that we can choose how we obtain resources, how we manage resources, and what resources we use. In this day and age, I feel that the human competition for resources is invalid. Human beings can manipulate the world around them in amazing ways. At this point in globalization, we should be united enough as a species to collectively compete with our present “best” using a conglomerate of our resources.

The idea of solely competing against yourself can be difficult, but it’s something I try to apply to my own life. In college, I have learned to compete academically with myself much more than against others. If my grades are improving, it doesn’t matter to me what grades my peers have. In the long run, I will have to deal with the grade listed under my name, not theirs.

It is true that competing against others can motivate a person to improve on a skill or ability. However, it is more productive to combine skills, abilities and talents for a common goal. At some point in evolution (both physical and mental), competition amongst humans was necessary not only for daily survival, but also as a platform on which to learn about the essence of competition. Today, I find it inefficient and immature in an evolutionary sense.