The Will-To-Good Group

- a virtual organization -

Reading Center

Competition

We are taught from an early age that competition is good, not only for business but in building individual character. Any activity that pits one or more against another or others is counter to the principle of sharing and goodwill among human beings. One basic premise used by those who believe competition is good and right is that prices on goods and services are kept down. It is not competition that brings down prices...but greed that drives them up! Lets create a simple example to analyze...we'll use a grocery store business.

First of all let us ask a few questions. Is there a need to have advertising to sell food? Is food, a basic necessity of life, something that should be a business created for profit? And what about those deceptive practices of that industry...such as posting prices as though they are sale prices, reducing contents or amounts to increase revenues and profits? Shouldn't something so basic as food distribution really be a service to humanity...or are we better off with a competitive business structure?

Now let us assume there is only one grocery store chain and it is not motivated by profit, what would happen to the cost of goods purchased by the consumer? First of all having one chain of stores cuts down on the number of stores necessary to serve humanity, thus reducing overhead. Having all employees receive a fair wage and not huge salaries in the upper levels of the corporate structure would further reduce overhead. And what about using volunteer help to reduce the overhead further? Pipe dreams? Using the principle of Goodwill and sharing rather than greed and profit taking...all unrealistic? How many high school students would be available to volunteer for a few hours per week if a program existed for them to do so? How many capable senior citizens would help out as well, adding more productivity to their lives, something many wished they had. And what if we eliminated advertising since there would be no reason to try and outdo a competitor? Unrealistic? You bet it is...for as long as competition for profit is the motive for any given business!

Profit in and of itself is not the problem here. Unfortunately, it can be argued, without competition people are taken advantage of by greedy individuals and businesses. Especially when there is a monopoly on some service or good...why is that? Does that mean competition is the best thing for society as a whole...or could it be that something else is not good, resulting in competition as an offset or equalizer?

The fact is if Goodwill, sharing, and an attitude of selflessness were the order of the day competition simply wouldn't exist. You could then have as many grocery store chains, using our example above, as necessary to serve humanity. The word service would then be a better term to describe the role and position of that unit within the working structure of humanity, and not competition.

How does one create a new attitude and help bring in this new age of sharing and Goodwill? It starts at the bottom with us as individuals, then as the number of individuals with this newly directed energy grows, groups form. And soon a new way of life exists...it doesn't start at the top with them.

Service and Goodwill...unrealistic?

"The characteristics of the man immersed in form life and under the rule of matter are fear, individualism, competition and greed.  These have to give place to spiritual confidence, co-operation, group awareness and selflessness."

- The Labours of Hercules, by Alice A. Bailey