Competition - ON the field & OFF the field
Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 11:50AM 
This page is an excerpt from the book:
What's Going On?
Communication: What Hurts & What Works
Competition - On the Field
Of course, competition has value, for example in Sports and the Arts...
When people compete in sports there are clearly defined rules to ensure safety and a level playing field. If we want to play the game, we agree to play by the rules and submit to adjudications of umpires expert in the rules of the game. They ensure no-one gets hurt, and no-one receives advantage at the expense of others - and penalties are imposed if they do.
The same principles apply in the arts. If we want to participate, we agree to the rules of the competition and submit to the assessment of judges chosen for their expertise - who ‘judge’ our performance. Usually, against specified criteria.
Competition - Off the Field
In our everyday interactions with others we don’t have the luxuries of clearly defined rules to ensure safety and a level playing field. We don’t have umpires and judges to ensure no-one gets hurt or exploited.
Fair vs Foul
People get hurt when what one person thinks is foul, another person thinks is fair.
eek?!
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This page is an excerpt from the book: