The Trouble with Versus

Some people believe that the desire for winning developed because of its evolutionary value. Before someone can question its actual utility in modern society, one must acknowledge that the desire for success sits at the forefront of our psychological conditioning and motivates a great deal of how we behave. Beyond just reproductive success, winning determines which ideas gain favor, which individuals or groups of individuals obtain control, and which social structures influence the way we think and act.

I decided to write this article after watching my beloved alma mater compete in a football contest over the weekend. They didn’t win, but they performed better than the experts predicted they would. Still, hordes of disgruntled fans flocked to message boards to condemn their lack of success and to dole out blame towards players and coaches they deemed to have caused this slight to their egos.

Is this behavior warranted or even valued in our society? We witness extreme political behavior dominate our news programs where people jockey to assert what is right. I think this relates to the RealitySeeker philosophy because we can step back and ask ourselves why must we seek to obtain this valued end. I always wondered, what was to be gained by achieving a championship when the following year everything starts over. Isn’t it more important to play well?

You see this pattern repeated in our structures of logic. In debate, we fervently analyze rhetoric for “right” statements, much like we obsess over that elusive victory. How much collective anxiety and resultant depression do we create for ourselves in this competitive culture?

Clearly, these patterns of competitive culture and individual habits of behavior are deeply engrained in the way that we live. RealitySeeker asks, “what freedom do we have to step out of this nonsense?” I will offer some practical tips that may help you do just that.

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