As this
course comes to a close, I have come to the realization that almost everything
in life can be considered a game. When I used to think of the word game I
immediately would think of playing board games or sports games. Now, when I hear
the word game countless different types of games come to mind. I guess that
because of this class I have become more cognizant of how almost everything in
life is a game. First we can think about how school is a competitive game.
Within each class each student works hard and competes to get the highest
grade. Then within each grade each student competes to have the highest
cumulative GPA. Then the students go on to compete to get into the best college
or the best graduate school in an effort to get the best job and then
eventually make the most money and live in the biggest house and drive the
nicest cars and have the most expensive material goods. With teenage girls
there has been a rise in eating disorders because of the desire to be the
skinniest and the prettiest. Girls are actually purposely starving themselves
so that they can be skinnier than their friends. Boys are constantly competing
with each other to have the best bodies and they are willing to use illegal
substances like steroids in order to achieve their desired body. How far will
we go to be the best?
I could
continue on and give several other examples of how life is one big competition.
Even within my own family we joke about who is my grandpa’s favorite and we all
secretly try our best to be the favorite. It is our innate human instinct to
want to be the best. However, I do believe that it really depends on the
individual person. Some people don’t want to make the most money and live in
the biggest mansion and they actually are satisfied living a mediocre
lifestyle. For most of us I do not believe that is the case. I think a lot of
it has to do with your genetics but I also believe that your environment plays
a large role on how competitive and driven you are. For example, I was raised
in a family with two older brothers who are both extremely competitive. To this
day no matter what we are doing it is a competition and we all want to win. This past Easter we were playing cards
with each other and my brothers both got so heated when they were losing and
then when my one brother won he told me that it was because he’s the smartest.
I was in complete shock. He’s 28 years old. Does the competition ever end? I
think due to our genetics and our environment we will always be competitive
individuals with a strong desire to be the best we can possibly be. This course
has made me realize that when you think about it, life is one big competition.
We are all just players in the game of life. Yet, our genetics and our environment
determine how badly we want to win.
-Shannon Funsch
-Shannon Funsch
Great post! I like how you translate the aspect of competition to your own, every dat, life. This course also made me realize that everyting in life is a game,especially in modern society, where everybody is constantly competing and trying to be the best. I am always very interested in cultural differences in "the strive for competition". Right now, I am in the UGLI, and there is a Asian guy stting right next to me who is solving math problems like his life depends on it (the Asian strive for achievement is grounded in research by the way,don't get me wrong) Why are some countries/cultures more competitive than others? But I agree with you that in the end, competing is just part of human nature,and that a society without competition is a illusion.
ReplyDeleteJoelle van den Meiracker
I actually thought about writing a post similar to this because this is so true. I don't have siblings that are old enough to compete with me, but I see it in my father and his three brothers whenever I'm around them. We'll play poker or fantasy football and its about as cut-throat as its gets. It's just second nature to me now, and I know that when my brothers and sisters grow up, they will continue being competitive with each other, probably until the day they die. Whether its foolish or wise, the "competition gene" is alive in me and my uncles, just as it is in you and your brothers.
ReplyDeleteI find this post extremely interesting, but I have to disagree with a small point that you make! I think that no matter what, life is a game. You refer to people who are happy not being the richest or not living in the largest house, but regardless, they are still playing the "game" of life. I don't think the game of life always has to be about money or being the best, but also about being our own best and being our happiest. I think for people who don't necessarily play to be the richest are certainly "playing" for something else, whether it be internal happiness, love, or anything else that this large game of life entails!
ReplyDeleteShannon,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with your blog post. After taking this class, I too "have become more cognizant of how almost everything in life is a game." It's scary to think how far an individual will go to get ahead of his or her peers (not even for the sake of personal satisfaction). I don't know if our environment or genetics necessarily determines how badly we want to win, but I do agree that we are all players in the game of life. Some engage in more competition than others; ultimately, I believe that the ones who succeed in life are those who have mastered how to play the game.
I completely agree! This class had made me think about games in relation to almost every aspect about life. It is amazing how everything in society has become so competitive and everything we do is basically a competition. For example, who has the biggest house, who has the most friends, who's in the best sorority, who made the most home runs. In almost everything there is always a "most". It is this idea that makes everyone so competitive against each other and what makes everyone so unsatisfied with what they have. It's sad that this is what life has come to but it's honestly all that life has come to as one big competitive game.
ReplyDelete