From Darwins Origin of Species to the trading floor of the London Stock Exchange we have been brainwashed to believe that everything is a competition. Our whole existence is theoretically based on getting the edge over the next person. This is personified through tribal communities with diverse activities such as sport and war.
However in reality this is not how the world works. Most activity requires cooperation between members of any living species humans being the most cooperative of the lot.
An entrepreneur might become a self made billionaire during her lifetime but actually her ability to succeed depends on hundreds or thousands of cooperative staff clients and authorities alike. A gold medal winner at the Olympics should really except his medal on behalf of all those that helped him get there. A society that allows him to train above poverty.
Parents who sacrifice years of their lives to help the athlete to reach the top. The coaches who guide them through countless hours of training, providing motivation throughout when the athlete wants to give up.
In reality we don’t live in a compeditive world at all. In fact should we have all competed throughout history, I would suggest our species would no longer exist. If you are fortunate enough to play for a football team you are competing with one opposition each week. You are also cooperating with ten other players to obtain your ” goal “
My advice for anyone who might be interested is select activity that is challenging but not competitive. The mountaineer does compete but his competitor is the mountain. For most people in society it is better to scale the next mountain than to prove you are better than your neighbour.
Peter.