The debate over competition or cooperation is as long as history itself. On the one side, there are people who are of the opinion that we are primal creatures and competing with each other for resources is undoubtedly an intrinsic value; however, others of the opinion that collaboration is the underpinning cause for a much brighter future for the humanity as a whole. Focusing on three main aspects, namely career, academic, and lifestyle, I wholeheartedly agree that in all fronts, we need cooperation.
On the one hand, many point out completion in every aspect of our lives. At work, there are companies competing on a daily basis to get a larger market share and remove their rivals off their race. Tesla is a great example here as this car company has managed to compete with all its rivals, specifically its Chinese counterpart, to dominate the electronic vehicle market. Regarding the education, students are encourage to compete in order to secure academic position. In many middle eastern systems, you have to compete for your seat at your desired field of education; for western institutes, limited scholarships and grants are available to only a handful of applicants, working hard to win these life-changing prizes. There are numerous examples in our daily lives; from overtaking other cars in a highway to jumping in queues to receive our order of French fries sooner than others. In all aspects, the presence of rivalry is palpable.
On the other hand, many people, including me, have adopted a different school of thoughts that cooperation will yield much more efficient results. At work, the best managers are the ones that instill a sense of teamwork in their subordinates; a company in robotics simply cannot create humanoid robots without the seamless collaboration among its software and hardware teams and among those teams as well. Submitting a thorough research paper focusing on the latest variant of the corona virus cannot be achieved unless a team of dedicated scientists, technicians, and microbiologists work hand in hand to overcome the multitude of obstacles in order to develop a new vaccine. Absence of a high degree of collaboration for an academic center might raise questions on the legitimacy or the authenticity of the submitted research paper. Examples in our everyday lives are also vivid. Had it not been for the cooperation among firefighters, never would we have been able to put out wildfires in the British Columbia’s forests.
In short, it is cooperation, not competition, that will enable us to overcome larger problems. I hope this attitude towards our future will soon become an inseparable parts of our workplace, academic environment, and our urban lives.
