Saturday, February 5, 2011

Competition

The term competition is deeply rooted in our day to day life. We have started to see everything in terms of competition. What is the need to compete? Is it because we are not self sufficient? When self sufficiency comes there is no need to compete. Or is it because of the deviation in the demand & supply? Have we consumed all the natural resources that the Mother nature gifted us with?

We compete with our brothers and sisters for toys, foods, snacks, corner seats, mother's care etc etc during our early stages.

We compete with our friends in studies, plays, for showoffs etc.

We compete with unknown for marks and admissions.

We compete with others for a job.

We compete with our colleagues for better growth, ratings, appraisals, salary hikes, promotions.

We compete with the world to earn more.

We compete with nature to stay young.

We compete with germs and bacteria and virus to stay fit.

We compete with the disease to stay alive.

Finally we compete with the fire to burn leaving ashes.

What do we gain out of this continuous rat race in our life? Everybody is talking about the competition. Our elders teach us to compete in life? But they do not tell why we need to compete? Is there a reason for competition? Can't we have a life without competition? Can two people not have separate paths where there is no competition? Even the senior management discusses about competitive advantage. They even go a step ahead and create a competitive strategy not only for the organization with which they are tied with but also for the nations. We create a bloodbath among ourselves. Is this the case with other living beings? From my point of view we human beings have been affected by ulcers like greed, anger, ego, dissatisfaction and other related emotions. Due to this chronic ulcer we are entering into a contest between individuals, groups, nations, animals etc. for a territory, a niche or a location of resources.

Are we winning the competition? The answer is uncertain. Win or success is a relative terminology. It depends on whom we compete with. If a lion competes with a fox definitely lion wins for its power. however if a lion competes with dinosaurs, then lion seems to be meager or nothing. When dinosaurs competes with the nature it vanishes. When nature competes with the mankind it gets eroded. Competition never ends. People who involve in competition can never confirm whether they succeed or fail without relativity.

Consequently I was given an alternate view for competition. What will happen if we compete with ourselves? My reply to this question is that when we start to compete with self there comes evolution. The nature competed with itself to give us such beauty. The single celled amoeba competed with itself to evolve into a multi-cellular human being. So to conclude I can say competition for evolution is necessary.