Essays

In school we compete for better grades. In sports and games we try our best to beat the other competitor. The commercial world is an ongoing race for more profits. Countries try to subjugate other countries by means of force. As a whole, the human race has engaged itself in a mighty round of competition. No one is spared. The winner reaps his gains, the loser withdraws to compete another day.

Competition is very much a part of modern life. In every sphere of human activity, there is some form of competition going on be it to a larger or smaller degree. Some of us cope well. There are some who fall by the side. Yet there are some who shun competition, preferring not to be get involved.

For those who do well, competition allows them to develop and realize their abilities. Record-breaking feats by athletes make us realize that humans are capable of wonderful performances. The four-minutes a mile, was an impossibility a few decades ago. Now, any world-class miler can break four minutes with ease. Training and competition have resulted in improvement beyond our wildest dreams. Nobody can say for sure what sort of clocking and distance future runners, jumpers and throwers will be capable of. It is left to be seen what tough competition can produce.

So far we have been with winners and record-breakers. Alas, in any competition, losers are as much a reality as winners. In fact, losers number more than winners. A hundred-metre clash has one winner and seven losers. A tennis competition has one champion and a dozen or more 'also-rans'. The elation of the winner cannot compare with the dejection felt by the losers. While we revel in the glory of the champion, how many of us spare a thought for the fallen ones? How many of these competitors go home empty-handed without anything to show for their efforts other than sore muscles and dented egos?

Some competitors can lose gracefully. However, a good number are sore-losers. They resort to all sorts of excuses and blames for their poor performances. Many athletes have taken steroids and other drugs to build up their bodies. The bad effects of these drugs will only manifest later, but yet these people are willing to take such risks just to win.

In actual competitions we see fouls all over the place. Punching. Kicking and elbowing are common sights in a soccer match. Pushing, jostling and tripping are part and parcel of distance running. Why no these competitors indulge in such illegal and immoral acts? The reason is obvious—to beat the other guy, to be the champion, by all means. Such a bad attitude among competitors is a result of our obsession with competitive sports. The original purpose of participating is forgotten. The main purpose now is to win, regardless of the costs and the number of people that we trample on the way.

Competitiveness has spilled over to our everyday life. Nobody actually knows why we study so hard to get better grades. We only know that we have got to have good grades in order to further our education. Why do we have to further our education? The common answer is that so that we can get a good job and so on and so forth.

Those who obtain many distinctions in an important examination wear distinctive smiles. A happy smile is a sign of success. Yet there are many who stand by the side and at best can manage an indifferent look. Most wear frowns and sad faces- These are the people who did not quite make it. In the competition for good grades, the achievers rejoice, the non-achievers grieve. Our educational system has produced generations of people who judge a person by the amount of certificates he has. A graduate is automatically a respected person. An 'unskilled' labourer is to be, avoided. We have forgotten how to see a mai for what he really is.

As long as we compete, we will have to put up with the bad effects as well as enjoy the good effects. We will have to suffer increased unemployment while we produce more graduates. We will have to live with pollution as we produce more cars and motorcycles. We will see more broken limbs as we see more goals scored. In short, the bad always comes with the good. We have to live with this fact.