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Is our competitive spirit hurting our civilization?
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| (Friday, 08 August 2008) By Rachael Bliss |
Do you think we'll ever achieve peace through nonviolence? Or, in other
words, will humans ever realize that they can live a healthier, happier
life if they cooperate other than compete?
Seems to me that competition is related to the Protestant Work Ethic.
And how are they similar? Both serve to create more products that use
more resources and get us all just a little more exhausted.
I
know a person who quit his job because he was too competitive. He
wanted to call the shots consistently, and when that didn't go over too
well with his bosses, he told them where to go, and started his own
business where no one would draw the line on what he could or couldn't
do for the good of the organization.
So to this day, that person
loses sleep, cashes in all his life's savings, runs up his credit card
bills, strips himself of most of his collateral, all so his new
business can outshine the place where he used to work.
So folks, I think it's the testosterone
in them (both sexes). I can't imagine a world where there is no
competition. Whereas, if those competitive folks would just shed a
little of their pride, they may be able to enjoy life a little more.
They could find joy in the fact that their group completed a feat that
will help man and womankind. Or they may rejoice in the fact that a
number of groups made this world a better place to live.
I
really think that this competitive spirit to win, to be on top, is
unhealthy. There doesn't have to be winners. In fact, there should be
more sharers. People need to enjoy the wonders of this universe and
this planet by deeply breathing in its wonders, by taking time from
work to notice the small things, to appreciate one's family and to
watch the kids grow.
Instead, our capitalistic system uses the
tendency for some people to be competitive to get more from their
workers, so the owners of the corporations can make more money for
themselves and their stock holders, so they all can be richer and have
more prestige than those of the other corporations. They basically
"use" the little guy by squeezing him, draining him, smashing him (or
her), just so they can at last hold that little trophy that says they
gave the most and won the most.....maybe a promotion or just a slap on
the back.
We could probably argue until the cows come home on
whether humans are innately competitive or cooperative. So let's go one
step beyond that.
How about if we just look at the facts. We
have been a competitive society for a long time. Yes, there have been
some successes in the meantime. But who's to say that those successes
couldn't have been possible if we had just cooperated? Maybe through
cooperation, more people would have survived cancer or AIDS, maybe more
families would have enjoyed Mom and Dad being in the home more, maybe
more resources would have been saved for the needs of our grandchildren
down the road. Maybe not so many Indians would have been killed in the
settlement of my country.
My suggestion: Let's try ten years of
complete cooperation. Let's outlaw competition. For just ten years. If
things don't improve, then we can go back to competition.
But I
have a feeling that folks, once they channel their skills and talents
into cooperation for just a year or two, most will say that the latter
is the better. And life will improve for all of us. And our earth will
thank us, along with the families and societies that live on it.
Try
it. You might like it yourself. Let's do it for the next generation's
sake. Don't we always tell them to share? Maybe they can keep in mind that
advice as they work in the real world later on.
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