Competition is generally a word with negative connotations. Most of us hate competition. Be it in professional sphere or in personal life. The word has a wide range of association though it usually mans the same in most circumstances. We have corporate competition between brands and companies for market share and consumer loyalty on one end of the spectrum while on other end we also have siblings competing for attention from the parents. We face competition in our school days when we try to outrank each other and gain access to the best colleges and courses and we also face competition in love when the one we love is desired by others in his/her circle too. Sometimes the competition stays as healthy rivalry inspiring and pushing us to work harder and bring out the best in ourselves and sometimes it turns ugly and obsessive bringing out our deepest demons. Whatever may be the nature of it, the truth is we cannot escape competition in our life.
To understand the true nature of competition we must understand the most basic form of competition. Then we begin to understand that competition is not a phenomenon, it is actually the rule of existence. It is how the best amongst all alternatives is allowed to progress while the less deserving is inhibited. This may see discriminatory but it works for the greater good. And while each individual does or should work towards self satisfaction, the rules which apply to everyone always work towards the greater good. This is how the balance between individuals and the society is maintained.
So the most basic form of competition is evolution or more precisely put, Darwinian evolution. Without going deeper into Darwin's theory let us consider one example. Lets go back a few thousand years or more. There are two groups of chameleons which are competing to stay alive on this earth. One is a normal group of chameleons and the other group has a genetic disorder which causes it to change color and get the color of the thing it is in contact with. Now eagles like to prey on chameleons so both the families hope that its a member of the other family that the eagle catches. So they are competing to stay hidden. Now the chameleons with the genetic disorder might seem to have an unfair advantage. However due to this advantage they stay hidden better an their normal counterparts who are eaten in larger numbers and their numbers begin to dwindle. Now they must mingle with the abnormal chameleons to mate and produce children who inherit the disorder. Soon the disorder becomes the ne normal and now it is expected that every chameleon should be able to change color. This has wiped out the erstwhile normal chameleons but it has helped the chameleon population on the whole. Now eagles find it difficult o catch chameleons and maybe mice have become their preferred prey. So the chameleon population multiplies faster and depletes slower.
Now this is basic principle of Darwinian theory of evolution, more popularly known as survival of the fittest. Now one may ask what does it have to do with competition. In absence of competition to stay alive, the chameleons with disorder would have felt obliged to expose themselves and get sacrificed if the then normal chameleons reduced in number faster. Thus in a bid to be fair to their counterparts they would have done a great disservice to the future generations of chameleons. But by acting selfishly, competing for survival and staying hidden when there counterparts were being eaten, the chameleons ensured that their race became stronger and better suited for survival.
Now that was a type of competition which benefits the entire race including the competing parties. Now although competition is based on the principle of self advancement, can the competition as a whole be altruistic? As in benefiting others rather than the competing parties themselves. Yes, it can be. We all know that monopoly is bad. A monopolistic manufacturer can demand any price for his products an in absence of an acceptable alternative, the consumers would have to bear the burden of the cost. However in case of competing manufacturers, considering all things equal between the products, the manufacturers have no choice but to decrease their margins and lower the prices. This benefits the consumers who now get the same products at lower cost.
(To Be Continued......)
To understand the true nature of competition we must understand the most basic form of competition. Then we begin to understand that competition is not a phenomenon, it is actually the rule of existence. It is how the best amongst all alternatives is allowed to progress while the less deserving is inhibited. This may see discriminatory but it works for the greater good. And while each individual does or should work towards self satisfaction, the rules which apply to everyone always work towards the greater good. This is how the balance between individuals and the society is maintained.
So the most basic form of competition is evolution or more precisely put, Darwinian evolution. Without going deeper into Darwin's theory let us consider one example. Lets go back a few thousand years or more. There are two groups of chameleons which are competing to stay alive on this earth. One is a normal group of chameleons and the other group has a genetic disorder which causes it to change color and get the color of the thing it is in contact with. Now eagles like to prey on chameleons so both the families hope that its a member of the other family that the eagle catches. So they are competing to stay hidden. Now the chameleons with the genetic disorder might seem to have an unfair advantage. However due to this advantage they stay hidden better an their normal counterparts who are eaten in larger numbers and their numbers begin to dwindle. Now they must mingle with the abnormal chameleons to mate and produce children who inherit the disorder. Soon the disorder becomes the ne normal and now it is expected that every chameleon should be able to change color. This has wiped out the erstwhile normal chameleons but it has helped the chameleon population on the whole. Now eagles find it difficult o catch chameleons and maybe mice have become their preferred prey. So the chameleon population multiplies faster and depletes slower.
Now this is basic principle of Darwinian theory of evolution, more popularly known as survival of the fittest. Now one may ask what does it have to do with competition. In absence of competition to stay alive, the chameleons with disorder would have felt obliged to expose themselves and get sacrificed if the then normal chameleons reduced in number faster. Thus in a bid to be fair to their counterparts they would have done a great disservice to the future generations of chameleons. But by acting selfishly, competing for survival and staying hidden when there counterparts were being eaten, the chameleons ensured that their race became stronger and better suited for survival.
Now that was a type of competition which benefits the entire race including the competing parties. Now although competition is based on the principle of self advancement, can the competition as a whole be altruistic? As in benefiting others rather than the competing parties themselves. Yes, it can be. We all know that monopoly is bad. A monopolistic manufacturer can demand any price for his products an in absence of an acceptable alternative, the consumers would have to bear the burden of the cost. However in case of competing manufacturers, considering all things equal between the products, the manufacturers have no choice but to decrease their margins and lower the prices. This benefits the consumers who now get the same products at lower cost.
(To Be Continued......)
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