Competition in the Workplace and the Human Condition

Do you notice where you find yourself competing with your other fellow employees, because you can’t all ‘win’, you can’t all get the bonuses, and this puts you in a position where you’re against each other, instead of working together toward the common goal, you’re now working in separation for ‘potential rewards’. And the only reason this competition exists, is because there are these possibilities/opportunities to get more money, but not for everyone. That means, very simply, it’s either ‘You or Them’. So now your focus is distracted from the task at hand, and now focused on ‘beating everyone else’ to get to that prize. And for many people, this is not something that sits well, as most people don’t want to be against one another, but would much rather get along well and work together on things, but find oneself torn now between one’s own personal well-being/income and everyone else’s. In this, one will have to find whatever way one can to cope with or justify having to compete against one’s fellow man, like coming up with reasons like ‘why I deserve it more and they don’t’ and ‘I have to look out for myself/my family’.

What hasn’t been considered within this is the simple solution of giving to all equally, and giving enough that each and every individual can have a dignified life, the best quality life possible, where there is no worrying whether you will be able to get the healthcare you need, or the food you need, or adequate housing, education, etc.

If everyone gets the same support, competition will cease, because you won’t have to compete with others to get what you need and to have a dignified life. Then we can really focus on the tasks at hand and the productivity of humanity will not diminish, but will be of a higher quality, as when we work together on things, we are capable of so much more than when we’re all ‘on our own’ and having to work against each other.

What’s really incredible is the extent to which competition has been and is accepted as a ‘normal’ part of life, and it’s essentially forgotten that competition had to be conditioned in – we aren’t born with it. It’s something we learn through our family structures and in school, especially in sports for example, where winning is emphasized, and you’re separated into ‘teams’ instead of everyone being on the same ‘team’ and working together.

Some will argue that competition builds character, and it sure does – the question is, just what kind of character does competition create? The kind that has justified and accepted turning against one’s fellow man and seeking to ‘win’ no matter if it means someone else loses. And that is the very basis of our current economic system and our relationship toward/with it, in which we’ve accepted that only a few can ‘win’, while most everyone else has to ‘lose’, and never considering the option that everyone can win, and that if you winning means someone else losing, that is not really ‘winning’. The real way to win is to have a world where we’re actually supported to live in the best quality, and none are denied access to what we need here to live and thrive, that none are allowed to suffer for no good reason in order to make profits.

And it’s actually thought that using ‘incentive’ actually ‘increases productivity’, and you’ll have things like ‘quotas’ to meet at work, where what happens is this actually limits growth and productivity, because once you’ve met the quota, there’s no motivation then to go on any further, as your movement was dependent on that incentive. And where in the case of meeting a quota, the reward is usually actually the ‘avoidance of some form of punishment’, so your goal becomes totally removed from the actual task/job you’re doing. And that begs the question, why does what you’re doing require incentive to get you to do it? Is it not something you would do otherwise? So that really calls in to question the nature of what it is that we require incentive to do, and whether it is really the kind of jobs that are of benefit to ourselves and each other, and all of life here, or whether it’s jobs that only exist for the making of profits, without concern/regard for life?

See, we wouldn’t just naturally abuse ourselves and our home the earth and nature, but we had to be incentivized to do so, so that we won’t question what’s really being done and what are the actual consequences and outflows we’re creating, and why it is that we’re doing it, because we’ve been given a reason, it’s for a reward, which for many the ‘reward’ is literally one’s survival, and there is obviously no freedom in that. So it’s slavery, we’ve enslaved ourselves to/within this capitalist system where we must work within what’s available to us just to be able to survive, and thus there is really no free will in this reality, no ‘free choice’. Because not everyone can become, say, president of a country or a business. I mean, it’s obvious no starving child is ever going to be a wealthy business owner. And that even the majority of those in elite countries who are surviving in relative comfort, and living paycheck to paycheck, are not going to become world leaders or big-time CEO’s.

Obviously a system based on competition is not working, with most of the population living undignified lives, lacking even the most basic of needs, when there is plenty for all to live the best quality life. It’s as simple as no longer accepting a system that is based on us competing against one another, and instead one where the starting point principle is to work together, as the world we can create through cooperation is one in which no one starves. Where no one suffers from lack of clean drinking water, effective education, proper housing, or effective healthcare. I mean it really makes you wonder why haven’t we done this already and established an Equal Money System, so that we can give ourselves the best life possible, and All of us, not just a few with the most money in a system that doesn’t give enough to all, through which we’re allowing people, children to starve every day, when it can be prevented. Time to give ourselves the life we’ve always wished for – join us today at http://equalmoney.org.

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• 209. Successful Living = Capitalist Brainwash

The Game of Gain that Leads to Loss is a Great Lie

It is quite fascinating to apply myself in this point of becoming involved in politics, actually taking the time to really thoroughly walk myself through the history of the governments we have created which we have now. And really, the point of studying in general, about things that is actually relevant to this world, like the economic system and education system- I am finding it is actually quite cool to study these things because doing so brings me to a point of understanding how, these systems that exist currently which we are creating, actually function- how it is we create them, how it is they exist, by getting down into the ‘nitty-gritty’ details, and really seeing all aspects of what we are doing, or at least much more aspects than before, and as I come to understand how it works more and more, I also gain the ability to become a creative/directive force within it. Whereas, when I did not know how it worked, it was like a mystery to me and thus I had no way to become involved in it, in the world systems, I had no clue as to even how to start and thus I assumed I simply ‘was not able’ to participate at all, and in fact, I wasn’t able, if only because I lacked the understanding of how the systems work, and thus how to be able to move within and as them.
It is exactly like if you want to play chess, you must understand what the different pieces are, and how they are able to move and how they are restricted, etc, and thus you can see how our systems are much like a game, where there is established rules that you must learn to play, if you want to ‘play the game’. Ha, I remember various experiences in my life where I was playing a game that I’d never played before with someone who was quite experienced, and they would use my lack of knowledge of the rules and strategies of the game to their advantage in order to win and would make no effort to even explain the basic rules of the game, and it was like ‘what is the fucking point?’ to even play this game, if you are not going to even have me stand on equal ground to compete as equals. Nevermind that the very point that we for entertainment and pleasure will actually engage in games where the point is to win at another’s expense- this just shows the extent to which we’ve been brainwashed to believe that ‘accomplishment’ or ‘reward’ must and only comes at the expense of another. Which is quite fucked up when you realize that it does not at all require some to lose in order to gain, in fact it’s exactly the opposite, when it’s set up so that in order to gain, you must rob others, it is like crippling a part of yourself, a part of your own body, as a part of the whole body that is all humans and this existence, and therefore you actually hurt yourself, YOU actually LOSE.
In realizing this, it is Obvious Common Sense, to not have our systems set up for only a few to gain at the cost of others. I mean, how fucked-up is it- that we don’t even realize this point, that it does not require some to ‘lose’ in order to gain, and that in fact, we are all losing by this set up. This is what the Equal Money System is about- having a system in which Life can actually be enjoyable no matter where you are in this world, you will be supported as the Life that you are- not exploited with no other choice if you want to actually survive in this world. It’s a system which will reflect the realization that what is actually best for each individual is that which is beneficial for every individual, thus, that which is best for self, or in self’s interest, is that which is best for All and Everyone. One and the same. One and equal. It’s such a simple point, and it’s time now to stand up and live this realization into actual fact, and stop the needless abuse and suffering going on in this world.