Competition and Happiness - Essay Example

Competition and Happiness Theodore Isaac Rubin s that competition is bad for individuals because it makes them live more outside themselves than concentrating on self-development. According to Rubin, competition is not in any way constructive because it tends to make life a harder for those who indulge in it and this is mainly through living in an environment where they feel that they have to prove themselves every time. The need to excel above all others, especially in a working environment, creates a situation where individuals choose to do anything, whether it is morally right or wrong, in order to win and this makes the environment to develop into one of fear where individuals come to believe that everyone else is out to get them. I agree with Rubin that competition is harmful for individuals because it makes them concentrate more on outdoing others rather than on self-discovery and development. Rubin shows that it is necessary for the culture of tight competition to be brought to an end because it allows for the creation of a situation where individuals, from the time that they are very young, to believe that everything that they do in life is all about competition. This results in paranoia in a significant number of them to such an extent that they end up choosing to isolate themselves in a bid to stave off what they consider to be potential threats. The ability of individuals to learn more about themselves and through this self-discovery become more productive in society is hampered through the intense competition that has become prominent in American society. Rubin shows that despite the almost unnecessary need for competition, most parents in the United States tend to push their children into competitive environments from the time when they are young and this is normally in a bid to ensure that they are able to win even if by proxy. He compares such a competitive environment with that of Switzerland where individuals do not need to compete in order to excel in life and this is mainly through there having developed a system that encourages collaboration rather than competition in situations where individuals would like to accomplish their goals. Rubin implies that a system of collaboration is better suited for an increase in productivity than competitiveness because the latter treats almost all situations like games that have to be won by any means necessary rather than work that can be accomplished through individuals working together. One would agree with the views that have been made by Rubin because of the increasing evidence that is accumulating around society showing an increasing tendency towards violence among individuals. This is mainly because individuals have come to treat almost all aspects of their lives as competitions; a factor which has brought about a situation where they are increasingly acting violently in case the situation involved does not go their way. The lack of self control that has developed because of the highly competitive nature of society has led to individuals’ loosing the opportunity to derive satisfaction through their participation in different activities. Instead, they have come to value more the act of winning rather than finding satisfaction in not only team work, but also being participants in the game. In most circumstances, sporting activities in themselves are not important because they are supposed to be a means through which individuals find enjoyment in their lives. However, the highly competitive nature that has developed in society has made it almost impossible for individuals to enjoy their lives because they concentrate more on winning. The great treatment that winners receive and the derision with which losers are looked upon and spoken to tends to make it difficult for the latter to accept their loss. Competition has become so important for members of teams in sports that they have come to easily forget that they are playing a mere game and attacked match officials for what they believe is unfairness in the field (Nevius). Losses are taken very personally by those involved and this creates a situation where they become highly unpredictable, considering that they might end up reacting violently, to the extent of committing murder, in order to express their feelings. A highly competitive culture brings about scenarios where individuals are willing to do anything to ensure that they win. This is especially the case in the work environment within the modern world where employees tend to be highly competitive when it comes to performance. This competition is normally done in a bid to ensure that their supervisors or managers notice their efforts and recommends them for promotion. The fight for the few opportunities available has become an essential part of ensuring that the culture of competition is perpetuated. The result has been that individuals in numerous organizations have ended up failing to enjoy their jobs as well as their achievements because of the feeling that there are others who might be after them and there is need to secure themselves against them. The sense of insecurity or paranoia that is prevalent among even those who would be considered the most successful individuals in society is what pushes most of them to continue on the competitive path because they do not know when others will come along and try to take their positions away from them. This situation makes it difficult for individuals to have time to reflect on their achievements and derive satisfaction from it. Instead, competition forces them to focus on others, and how the latter’s actions reflect on them, making it impossible for them to lead happy lives. Individuals tend to gain more satisfaction as well as perform better in a collaborative environment rather than one that is full of competition. This is mainly because instead of competing, they always encourage one another through providing tips as well as working together towards a common goal. Individuals tend to have different talents which, if they work alone, might not be enough to ensure success. However, when these different talents are brought together in collaboration, they often bring about a higher level of productivity. This can be seen where individuals such as John Lennox and Paul McCartney collaborated to such an extent that they made the Beetles famous, with the group being considered to have been unique in modern history. Despite these two men having been almost completely different in character, the differences worked in their favor when it came to composing music and this enabled them to bring about the success that the Beetles were to enjoy for years (Shenk). Their highly collaborative relationship, rather than one based on competition, brought about greater productivity from them and allowed for their advancement as renowned people all over the world, essentially becoming icons. The discussion above has attempted to show that competition is not healthy for individuals because it brings about a situation where they are unable to derive joy and satisfaction from the activities that they are undertaking. Rubin’s argument that competition is harmful has been found to be most pertinent especially considering American society where it has become the norm for members of society to value winning over personal development. The discussion has agreed with the views made by Rubin because of the increasing evidence that is accumulating around society showing an increasing tendency towards violence among individuals. Furthermore, the discussion has shown that a highly competitive culture brings about scenarios where individuals are willing to do anything to ensure that they win. Finally, it is essential to note that individuals tend to gain more satisfaction as well as perform better in a collaborative environment rather than one that is full of competition, with the example being given of the Beetles and how they managed to attain their legendary worldwide success. Works Cited Nevius, C.W. “The Cost of High Stakes On Little League Games.” SFGate, 2000. Web. 11 March 2015 Rubin, Theodore Isaac. “Competition and Happiness.” Genius. n.d. Web. 11 March 2015 Shenk, Joshua Wolf. “The Power of Two.” The Atlantic, 2014. Web. 11 March 2015 Read More