Competitive Drive

Photo 2015 Goulding

Competition always bubbles up at one point in our lives.  Whether we are auditioning for a spot in a symphony orchestra, or racing our friend to see who can hold their breather longer, competition seems to drive us.  Competition can push us over the edge and help us achieve more than we could ever imagine.  But how big a role does competition play in our daily lives, and especially in the world of science?


First off ego play in big role in why competition is so lasting to us.  We want to be great, and we want to show others we are capable of greatness.  Neil Degrass Tyson says in his interview “If we don’t build the lab, somebody else will, and the science will be discovered.” If the US didn’t go to the moon first, the Soviet Union would have, and either way the science will be discovered.

Because we are prideful in our work, competition drives to better ourselves and pushes us to the limit.  If there was no space race in the US against the Soviets, then who knows how long it would have taken to get to the moon?  This is why competition works in our society so that we can better ourselves against others.

Every Day Life

Now competition doesn’t just exist in the world of science.  In my school specifically, we have a football game every year called the Battle for the Bell where we face off our long time school rivals in Orange Coast College.  This rivalry, between Fountain Valley High and Edison High has even been on the poll for the Great American Rivalry survey.  Our football teams feed off the spirit of the crowd and the drive for competition only grows.

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