Why are we so focused on winning? It seems like everything that society holds dear has either a number and/or a rank that allows us to see who is on top, and who is on the bottom. Don’t believe me? Well, let’s start with sports.
In 2016, the average number of NFL games watched every week was 264 million. And being just one of the many sport leagues that are commonly viewed in the United States, it is without question that these games have a huge impact on what we are interested in, spend our time doing, and learning about.
And with that being said, I also can’t think of anything with more measurements on determining winners and losers than sports. We have data to compare the number of touchdowns, yards rushed, yards passed, points per game, points allowed per game, interceptions, fumbles, completion percentage, trips to SuperBowl, farthest field goal, farthest field goal attempt, their’s even an aggressiveness percentage, and of course, wins and loses. All these statistics are ways to see who is on top and who is on the bottom. Sometimes in the big ways, and then occasionally in the smallest of ways.
But there is much more “winning” going on than just sports. We treat our education system similarly. Whether it be from class rank or our obsessive focus on test grades, or the hierarchy of forms of knowledge, students always seem to have a number that they are equated to.
Now, a possible argument I hear ringing in my ears is that education needs to be this way. How else would we know the performance and knowledge of students? Well before I answer that question, I would first like to point out how inefficient the US system is now. When scored against other OECD counties, the US ranked 14th in reading, 25th in math, and 17th in science. Weighting these subjects of knowledge all equally, the US overall educational ranking is about 19th in the world. And can you guess the country that was ranked number one overall? Finland… the same country that’s only form of measurement in classes is pass or fail.
So is it possible to have a system that doesn’t focus on grades in school? Well, it certainly is in Finland. And may I add that it is not only possible, but rather ideal. Of course, there is an endless list of how the United States is different from Finland, but that should not deter someone from considering the flourishing possibility of school without grades.
Therefore, if it is not required, and at the very least we could play around with the idea of education without grades, then why do we ruthlessly stick to this idea of needing a winner? Why must we find a million measurements in our sports teams to see just how exactly they win and lose? And unfortunately, I believe this obsession can even cloud our own reality.
Going smaller with this thought experiment, I wonder how this need to win effects our day to day lives. When we listen to a presidential debate do we listen closely to the facts and policies of our candidates, or do we just get a feel for which one is quicker to respond, seems more confident, and just acts in control the whole time (not pointing fingers… but, you know). In that case, I feel that we are more focused on the “winner” rather than the one that is most correct. And this hurts us because it can drive us into choosing the wrong people for the most important jobs (… still not pointing any fingers. Nope, none at all).
Now getting a bit more abstract, how about when we debate? Do we stay logical throughout the experience and focus on both listening, while presenting our own data? Or do we get emotional as our grip on the conversation is lost as we begin to “lose”? In these cases, we focus on our pride and ego, rather than the truth. Many of us seem to choose “winning” over learning, and that alone hinders our ability to see and understand the many perspectives and people that we live among.
I believe this need to win is destructive. It can be constructive, don’t get me wrong. At times it can lead to motivation and purpose, but at this point, I find it extremely toxic. Eating away at what we determine as value, I feel that our need to win is holding us back from the many possibilities that we either never see, or allow conventional wisdom to choose for us.