I am disillusioned enough to see competition as a learned behavior, conditional upon several causal factors. We live in a world where resources are scarce in a system that thrives off scarcity. Abundance is against a system’s interest where scarcity creates power and wealth through the owning of resources, scarcity is often times created or imagined because of this. It is the environment coupled with our individual will to survive which creates this perception of competition.

Competition serves its purpose but it is not inborn, unchangeable or even necessary in most cases. As civilization progresses and technology becomes more efficient, as resources become more abundant, the need to compete for survival is reduced. Unfortunately this would also mean a relinquishment of power amongst those who control the allocation of resources.

Education is not something where competition should be necessary. Certainly it has its purpose in good fun, or motivation in some people, but the growth in intellect of an individual should not depend on whether they win or lose. A population of intelligent thinkers benefits the species more than a select few who’ve won their intelligence in a competitive struggle. Unfortunately this too is against the interest of those in power. A nation of people fighting over resources and credentialism is easier to control then a nation of critical thinkers able to come together and talk about how badly they’re getting fucked by the system.

What about one who lose, is it that they are losers for life just because they have lost just this once??. Think about all sects of people. Not all of them are talented in everything. Competition brings comparison & comparison bring discouragement to the child who has failed. This is certainly not what education should focus to bring about.