COMPETITION or PLAY?
Is competition the same as play? One might say that play is competitive and, conversely, that all competition is playful. But are they the same spirit??
Let’s use a board game analogy to contrast both models. Any board game, be it Monopoly or another, can be approached in a competitive spirit or in a playful spirit. The game is the same, but the players’ mindsets can differ considerably between models A and B:?
MODEL A — Competitive players take the game seriously. Stakes (the paper bills, the plastic tokens) are real and warrant the struggle. Luck and happenstance are discounted. The game’s purpose is to reveal players’ skills through elimination. Rules of the game are sacrosanct and pyrrhic victory takes precedence over everything else. Players invest their sense of identity in the game: outcomes are experienced as personal achievements or failures.?
MODEL B — The playful spirit proceeds with levity, laughter and detachment. Stakes are merely a MacGuffin — an excuse to be there and enjoy a moment together. These players don’t get lost in the game. Outcomes don’t constitute a melodramatic matter of life and death. Concepts such as ‘winner’ or ‘loser’ aren’t co-opted by the ego. The board game is just cardboard, paper and plastic. All the rest is a fantasy of the mind.?
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Both players may deem the game to be ‘fun’. Personality types and notions of ‘fun’ can vary. Some people are more competitive by nature. Competitive sports constitute a staple of our civilization. We relish taking part in such events and watching them on TV. But can such a paradigm be applied to a human life? Is competition the best lens to interpret the complex nature of the world??
Professional athletes have relatively short careers. A human lifespan, in comparison, is much longer. Which model, A or B, is more enjoyable over the course of 80 years? If we are to live our lives by a model, which one would you pick? Which one is more emotionally sustainable??
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