There is too much hostility among humans; too much struggling for dominion when no one is really qualified to lead. Our hostility develops from our collective desire to gauge our self-worth in terms of relative accomplishments, but there is another way to revel in success. I call this method absolute value, for it entails disregarding the relative comparisons that we are so inclined toward making. 

By forgetting to rate ourselves against the abilities of others — and instead taking pride in our absolute achievements — we all might replace a bit of jealousy with peace of mind.

Competition is the primary source of our struggling and strife, and many fear a mutiny against its influence. A standard of absolute value is a better alternative to our tradition of competition and relative success.

Ignoring the common troubles which should bind us together, humanity continues to reject unity in favor of a competitive culture where no individual can exist without engaging in the opposition-driven way of life.

It is illogical that a populous should continue to live according to the decrees of such a divisive despot as competition, yet still we are obedient. Still, we compare ourselves with one another in order to determine our worth. We look to fashion magazines to see if we are beautiful, look at our friends’ test scores to see if we are smart and compare salaries to see if we are successful. Is there no better way to coexist? 

Cynics would say no. Beaten down in their attempts at conscientious objection, cynics have submitted to the notion that competition is insurmountable. In their defeat they have accepted that it is human nature to crave relative power, wealth and status. 

Advocates of competition are hardly distinguishable from the cynics. They too believe humankind is disposed to embrace these non-ideal character traits. Beyond our desire for power, wealth and status, advocates assume that we are inclined toward lethargy and will rarely do what it takes to achieve our selfish aspirations. 

In other words, they believe that humans need incentive. Without incentive to work, advocates believe that humanity would regress to a more primitive style of life where stagnation rather than progress would typify the human collective. They fear rebellion against competition for believing that without it scientific and technological development would drastically diminish and ultimately desist. 

It is a compelling argument the advocate makes; so compelling, in fact, that few of us can even fathom a world thriving in progress without competition. For those few who can, maintaining hope for its eventual existence is a constant struggle.

In everyday life we are faced with competition; we are pitted against one another on a daily basis. In school, at work and even in recreation or leisure, we take time to compare our performance against that of others. 

Unfortunately, we do not compare for the sake of assessing our absolute progress. Rather we compare to make sure that we are still relatively good at something. If we are better than someone at a given task then we feel happiness. If we try and cannot be better, then we are disgraced. 

However, inferior performances are an inevitable part of life and therefore we build a limited tolerance for them. But if we are honest with ourselves, in our hearts there is still that smoldering desire to be regarded as exceptional. This is because the precepts of competition have been so ingrained in us that even through conscious effort we cannot easily shake our desire for relative praise.  

Determining worth in terms of relative accomplishments is a very dangerous custom which humanity would be wise to abandon. A better alternative is to find worth in absolute achievements, both mental and physical, without motivation from desires for dominance.

We are all capable of doing many things well. Perhaps we are not capable of being the best, but we are always capable of improvement. And by taking pride in improvement – in our own progress, rather than our progress as compared to others – humanity might gradually overcome the enmity and individualistic culture championed by competition.