Competition in America

Is the competition that many Americans face today really a good thing? In many cases competition can be a drawback and can make or break a person. Competition in society could lead to many problems. People can try their hardest to achieve something, but there is always going to be that person who is better than them, that person that can take their spot. In many cases, competition can lead to many people doing unethical things to achieve what they please. A perfect example is the school systems in America. Are students getting any smarter, or are they just reverting to cheating because of the competition and stress that are put on students in today’s society.

The amount of competition that everyone faces today is just a way of showing people’s flaws; their imperfections. Look at the NFL. I have seen many high school and college players who have had the potential to reach the NFL, but it seems to be a thing of who you know. If you do not know anyone, then you could be the greatest Football player in the country and still never be seen. The odds of making a professional sports team should be much better, but the flaws and politics involved in a player being seen can break the dream of a young adult.

Competition also leads to stress, which can cause very serious health problems. Perhaps if society wasn’t so demanding as it is now, potential life expectancy would be greater. Stress has been known to shorten a life, and I believe that the competition in society is the number one cause of stress. Often times, there are no excuses for people’s health problems except stress due to competition, which many people seem to overlook. If doctor’s would just look at the stress caused by competition, then they wouldn’t need to explain anything because it is just simply a part of life in a society controlled by competition.

Look at the homeless begging for money on the streets. Not the ones who just don’t give a damn about their lives; but the war veterans, the ones who actually try their hardest to be successful but just can’t achieve success because of the few that are better than them. If society was not overruled by competition, then our homeless shelters wouldn’t be full of people who are willing to work. I am not saying they should be able to take the jobs of those who are better than them, but why can’t they work beside those people who are better than them, and they could learn from the process.

I am not saying you have to agree with me. In fact, most of you probably do not, and that’s okay. Maybe I just couldn’t present my thoughts as clearly as those spectacular writers; why I am overlooked because of the exact thing that I have been talking about, or maybe you are just a Darwinist, and believe in survival of the fittest. That only the best should live, and that the rest should let their corpses rot six feet down. I feel that competition is not always a bad thing, but in many cases it is a huge detriment to society.