<p>steamedrice,</p>
<p>If you happen to have the time to read this essay, here it is</p>
<p>Prompt: Is competition a good thing?</p>
<p>When people try to compete against others, they usually end up with more adversity than prosperity. Although some may say that competition allows one to pursue higher goals and achievements, competition causes a person to suffer and regret later in life. This notion is exemplified in literature as well as history.</p>
<p>The detrimental effects of competition are eloquently portrayed in A Separate Peace, where the author delineates the harmful effects of competition. During the beginning of the novel, Gene, the protagonist of the story, was extremely jealous of his friend Finny, who is superior to him in swimming. Trying to compete against Finny in swimming as well as popularity at school, Gene perceived Finny as a threat towards his popularity among his friends. Subsequently, Gene knocked Finny off a tree branch, causing finny to become an invalid for the rest of his life. As a result, Gene felt guilty for his actions and could not forgive himself, which causes him to act abnormally such as dressing in Finnys clothes in order to conceal himself from guilt and shame for injuring his friend. Because of Genes obsession with competing against Finny, Genes life is forever filled with remorse, never returning to the peaceful lifestyle he once lived.</p>
<p>Not only are the deleterious effects of competition shown in literature, but they are also delineated in history. During the Cold War, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. competed against each other in space technology. While both the United States and the Soviet Union were world powers, the strong sense of hostility and animosity to compete against each other caused the U.S. to spend all its efforts in building the first rocket to launch into space. After the successful launch of the Soviet Unions Sputnik, the U.S. increased its spending in space research in order to outcompete the Soviet Unions space technology that many Americans were lived in a state of fear and anxiety as the nations wealth was slowly depleting from excessive spending in the space race. In the long run, the competition against the Soviet Union in the space race proved more harmful than good. </p>
<p>In conclusion, people are better off trying their best than competing against each other. On the contrary, some may argue that competition stimulates others to work harder and achieve progress in the business world; however, the disastrous effects of competition outweigh the good, as seen in the decline of the Taiwanese Tamagotchi market caused by Asian companies overproducing their products in order to compete against each other.</p>