Philosophy Of Winning In Society

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The Philosophy of Winning in Society Today:
Indeed Crucial in Life, but Not the ‘Only Thing’
Insofar as today’s economy can be considered task-oriented, or characterized by an approach to life that focuses on fulfilling certain requirements to accomplish concomitant goals, the concept of “winning” presides over nearly every aspect of one’s professional life. Defined as the achievement of a predetermined objective, “to win” is the conscious or unconscious impetus behind many of our personal or vocational endeavors alike. Even ambitions as prosaic as a determination to arrive at the office earlier than one’s coworkers can be understood as driven by a desire to win. For those who hold this perspective, then, “winning” can quickly become the overarching …show more content…

It also disrupts that common narrative that the desire to win is based on a desire for compensation: winners, after all, receive more financial and social capital and can use these resources to voice their strategies and beliefs to the world. On the other hand, losers are left to question their mistakes and doubt their character, identity, and abilities. Redmond, by exploding that traditional binary by both losing the race and winning the collective imagination, demonstrates how a single individual can take on characteristics from both sides of the equation. When society takes a closer look at its paragons of success – athletes, movie stars, business leaders, politicians, and celebrities – a more complex picture emerges. It often becomes clear that one’s fame or visibility is the product of accomplishments and failures, wins and losses, and therefore that winning itself is not the sole guarantor of …show more content…

Ambition in any sphere can lead to tension and stress. Moments of failure and setbacks can be humiliating, embarrassing, and discouraging. Winning itself can also be chimerical – every new success potentially opens new doors to new challenges, leaving the subject bereft of any moment of true fulfillment. The structure of addiction comes into play: victory reignites the desire to win even more than failure whets the appetite for the same. The desire to win can also lead one to use competition as the only measure of self-worth, a perspective that can lead to the atrophy of self-knowledge and any other barometer of self-awareness. A win-at-all-costs approach can negatively affect relationships with family, friends, and business associates, sowing division and enmity and leading to the destruction of all for the sake of the victory. Lastly, the drive to win can often privilege short-term gains at the expense of long-term solutions

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