While competition helps to motivate people, a winning attitude does have consequences.
The ultimate asset of a winning attitude is actually the side effect it produces.
Amassing wealth, a lovely metal trophy or a printed valedictorian award is nice, but what good is it if one does not use these acquired talents and abilities for betterment. Those we admire for their success, have only really accomplished when they share their gifts for good.
Aggressive ambition is built into our DNA and for the most part it has served us well. But this attribute may very well have been the root cause of all wars. It is human nature to desire growth. This ambition can manifest in many ways. Territorial expansion, however is problematic on a finite planet. History has proven that it’s the intangible types of growth, like economic, educational and aesthetic advancement that actually upgrades our lives.
Today, with mass communication, mankind has reached a point in history where we possess the capability to perfect the world. We have the ability to seek, understand and communicate truth and educate. Humanity has an equal capacity to improve or to destroy this world. Technology has afforded us the ability to instantly persuade, rationalize, and manipulate information like never before.
We have reached a point in history where our technologies have made war too devastating to even imagine. Conflict between nations should be classified as obsolete. Until then, today, more than ever, those given the responsibility to make military judgement calls need be free of any and all intolerance including political bias.
Simply put, the root cause of all wars is human ego. The ability to separate blind ambition, which can be generated from the ego to altruistic… From that which is selfish to the selfless mindset can be a challenge for some. But now more than ever we need to have strong but altruistic people in government.
Yeah, people feel external, *perceived* threats – rather than taking time to understand the external element (or examine their own feelings) – and are then driven to minimize their discomfort through excluding and minimizing the external presence – BAM!
I’m happy (and alive) that the US and Soviet leaders actually seemed to take the time to understand each other during the Cuban Missile Crisis, rather than a knee-jerk reaction to minimize and exclude the other.
G-d created this world as a diverse one – take a look outside at nature.
To do and see otherwise is, yes, EGO – E (edging) G (G-d) O (out) – and making your Self G-d… a self god. It’s what many single people do, as well – they see “If you’re not like ME, you’re ‘incompatible’/I can’t make space for you.”