Fear is channeled through competition, with the stakes of not attaining or losing resources like food, land, safety, lives. And while we don’t have to forage and hunt or fight between other tribes anymore, the systematic functionality of competition endures in how we go about our everyday lives. Everything is or becomes a competition driven by fear of the scarcity of resources or the value and exclusivity of being the “best” and the benefits that come with being recognized as such.
The function of competition is a desire with limited resources at stake, producing a fear based mindset, approach and motivation. Competition to get into the right college with limited admittance, runs the fear not getting accepted produces a state of studying hard and being a good student. Competition to get the right job, only one position, runs the fear of not getting hired produces a state to want to be a good worker and building a strong resume. Competition to buy the house and others wanting the same house, runs the fear of not losing the house produces a state of wanting more money and overbidding.
Competition in sports, performance, career, profession, art, even cooking. Everything becomes a competition because the spots at the top are limited, and we want to know who is the best, what separates good from bad, the best from mediocre. Recognition is limited. Elite is exclusive. Only a few can be the “best” and we value those that have done the work and put in the time to master their craft, which competition is meant to help us sort.