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Are you in a race or in a competition? Oh, you are wondering if there is a difference between a race and a competition! Aren’t they the same?

A prize is usually wrested for in competition; the smarter you are, the higher your chances of winning. What else is being “smarter” in today’s world other than trying to outdo, outperform, or outshine others? Similarly, being smart could mean trying to undo or dislodge another person from a dominating position. Using the coinage of the renowned biologist Darwin, the real deal in a competition is the “survival of the fittest”: There are some limited resources, supposedly, that members of an ecosystem are contesting for, and only the shrewd guy gets most or all of these resources. But, of course, it does not matter whether the winner emerges by fair means or not.

On the contrary, here is what a race means: First, there is a terrain with tracks marked out on it. Seldomly though, the landscape is smooth; but this playing ground is often undulating, folded, and full of zig-zags. In an ideal race, there are usually hurdles to overcome too. The hurdles are put in place in the first place to limit how far one can advance in the race. The ultimate characteristic trademark of a race is the “finish line.” Yes, the finish line. And he who gets to the finish line wins in a race.

It begins to look as if race is the same thing as competition from what has been said so far. After all, there is a prize to be won in both cases. But before we jump to conclusions, we must note that, unlike in a competition where only one person gets the gold, several persons can actually get the gold in a race. A man is adjudged a winner in a race the moment his feet touches the finish line. That means several people can start a race at different times and even run at different paces. In the long run, getting to the finish line is all that matters!

Indeed, it will not be uncommon to find people who faint early in a race because of limited strength or the exhaustion that usually accompanies running and overcoming sporadic and intermittent hurdles over a long time. However, several privileges come with being in a race: To mention a few, camaraderie is available at its peak, and courage, not just talent, is all required to make it home! It is allowed to render help to one another, to look out for the good of another, and make sure that one’s immediate friend makes it to the finish line as well, just as one does. More so, a crowd is waiting in the grandstand to cheer people who lack courage.

Whether you agree with it or not, it is when we strip ourselves of the selfish “survival of the fittest” mentality and start looking after one another that winning begins to have its very true meaning. Of course, the gold will be forgotten in a matter of time. Another person will break the records you have set. But one thing will never die: the camaraderie we extend to each other along the way.