Fair Game

Cooperation and competition are yin and yang. The purpose of competition is to determine the best. Different manners of competitive advantage (i.e. steroids) focus our attention on how the game is played, rather than the results. Meaningful competition is measured by performance capability, the driving force for individual excellence is external to the game. It requires dedication to develop skills and strategies and tactics to accomplish goals while focusing on the prize - the winning of the competition.

When winning isn't everything, then why play? The journey has a billion different paths - why can't we choose not to compete in games where the rules make it impossible to win. Legalized gambling where the house is forced to pay a percentage of its profits is a big huge winning situation for the house - so states and tribes use it as a voluntary funding bank, yet some local chest pounding uniformed psychopath is going to bust somebody's grandfather for running an NCAA pool in their small town this week. Must we play this game much longer? Can't we set up the pieces again and start all over? With something of more value than rubble, on a pestulance ridden desert planet. Oh sorry - mad max moment.