The Winning Gene

We had a birthday party for my sisters sixteenth today. It was a fairly elaborate "Disney" themed affair with deco, costumes and organised games etc. Activities ranged from 'bomber-dropping' marshmallows into each others mouths, to attempting to be the first to scull back a ghastly concoction of randomly chosen ingredients. And the funny thing (when I sat back and thought about it) was that we were all so dead keen on winning. I mean, it's not like we're going to put "No. 1 marshmallow-dropperer" on our list of significant achievements.

It doesn't seem to matter what we're competing at - we like to be first just for the sake of it. Now this is more extreme in some people than others, and with some it's totally suppressed (by fear, pride, etc) but it seems to be a universal trait. I don't think it's a glory thing, because sometimes (trust me) you end up despised and looked down upon when you've done what it takes to win. And you know that's going to happen and you're cool with that. So what is it then that drives us to be 'the best'? It's fairly obvious that it would improve your chance of survival if placed in a harsh and unforgiving environment - but surely we would've shaken that basic instinct off after hundreds (if not thousands) of years of relative security? Is there something more? Maybe it goes hand in glove with our drive to take one step more than has been taken before - to settle wildernesses and climb mountains. Because really, without the compulsion to be that much better than anyone else, where's the raw motivation going to come from? I know, people will say 'for God, for King, and for country' and at some level I'm sure that's valid. But as my drama teacher used to say, "It has to come back to me". Like it or not, we were created as individual selves and therefore function as separate units. We can interact with others, we're not part of them. We understand and can assimilate ideas and emotions that pertain to oneself. Perhaps it's just the natural order of things like and yet unlike - we strive to outdo one another and in the process achieve heights never before conceived.