da incorrigible SAZEAL

The Dictionary defines Competition as:
1. The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry.
2. A test of skill or ability; a contest.
3. Rivalry between two or more businesses striving for the same customer or market.
4. A competitor: The competition has cornered the market.
5. Ecology. The simultaneous demand by two or more organisms for limited environmental resources, such as nutrients, living space, or light.

Well, I believe in two things: Competition is omnipresent; it is present everywhere and at every point of time. And secondly, Competition is very important; whether we talk about the growth of an individual, a society, an organization, a market, or the world at large. Life itself is a competition.

The question is what kind of competition? Or to what extent do we justify the intensity of competition? Here I am hinting at Good competition and Bad competition. As National Geographic quotes in one of its articles on competition as it exists in Olympics, “competition can be good, as when people or teams play games against each other and stick to the rules. It can also be bad, such as when two people fight or when someone tries to cheat at a game.”

I am aware that good and bad, in themselves, are undefined terms; and the most used (read abused) too. We must first understand that, if competition is defined as a game played between individuals to reach to the top, then there is always a place on the top for everyone.

As Prof. K Sankaran quotes the Darwin’s theory ,
“The fittest shall survive
None but the fittest shall survive
The strong shall inherit
None but the strongest shall inherit…”
So the competition should be such that we keep off from foul games and dirty tactics. Let us term these as negative competition. Whether I talk about the corporate world or anything else, this “negative competition” will surely help you break the backs of your competitors, but will also motivate them and others to break your back. This I said in terms of repercussions. But, in practise it is also an unethical act. Prof. Sankaran also talks about how we can stop vulgarising Darwin’s theory and reap more benefits of free markets by understanding Competition properly.

All of us have grown up hearing the saying that it is important to win but it is far more important how you win.
I believe in a concept of Co operational Competition. Traditionally, we use Co-operation and Competition as near antonyms. But here I do talk about the two terms in synch. Helping each other to develop, learn from each other and grow in unison is what I am preaching. The concept does look very impossible and socialist in outlook, but it has more to it than it seems. We must work with this in mind and some altruism in heart. We can bring about a positive change in this “dog-eat-dog” world by understanding the meaning of competition.

To sum it up, I quote the famous saying, “Win or lose- do it fairly”.