Competition takes many forms. It surrounds us as children on the playground. It increases as we realize classes rank students, then into the pressure of college acceptance, and next in the job market. Competition is not only between individuals, it is also between organizations, and states.
As I mentioned in my post last week, our world is becoming ever more interconnected. And competition has taken a new form between nations. Never before have citizens from one country been able to directly compete with citizens of another country for spots in universities or jobs at such a large scale.
Competition results in both negative and positive outcomes. The negative outcomes are job insecurities and fewer resources from the home country spent on their citizens. For example, when international students study at US universities they are receiving an education that a citizen of the US could have received instead. The positive outcomes of competition on such a global scale are that it drives states and people to make improvements. Such competition drives development, which creates great things for society. Using the international student as an example again, they pay more than a US student, which is financially beneficial to the university. The student also brings different beliefs and strengths that can better all students attending the university.
If competition is negative and positive, how should we think about it? We should teach our students and citizens that this is the reality of the world they live in. We can even be friends with the people we compete with. Competition is a factor but there is so much more to our interactions with people that it should not negatively consume us.
Competition affects all of us. Whether it is a policy implemented by our government to develop weapons before other countries or it is as simple as students competing for a higher grade in school, we are surrounded by competition. Competition can make us better people, it can help us grow.