Competition is Good

To slightly paraphrase Gordon Gekko in Wall Street: "Competition is good. Competition is right, competition works. Competition clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Competition, in all of its forms; competition for life, for money, for love, knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind."

For some people, Gekko's sentiment (actually about greed) isn't true. How many times have you heard the expressions "It's not a race!", and "There's no 'I' in 'Team'"? From personal experience, I've found that some people believe that competitiveness in an individual is a sign of his or her arrogance. I kept getting told off by my history teacher, Mr Lachette, for always trying to beat my classmate's grades. Junior football matches are increasingly being played nowadays without someone keeping score so that the losing side doesn't get too upset...

But I respectively disagree. Competitiveness is what makes us human beings and should not be suppressed.

Just look at a few of history's greatest rivalries and you can see how far competitiveness, whether in business, academia, science, sport, or the arts, has constantly pushed mankind forwards. Look at Nike and Adidas, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frasier, Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, Nikola Tesla and Thomas Edison (pictured). The latter rivalry demonstrates well how, behind every invention and discovery ever made, every achievement in history, there has almost always been another individual whose competitive spirit helped the victor to reach his or her potential. This coming August at the London Olympic Games, Asafa Powell will no doubt push Usain Bolt to break the 100 meters world record yet again.

According to their biographer, Vasari, Da Vinci (left) and Michelangelo (right) had "an intense dislike for each other"

And it's not just the 'greats' who benefit from man's instinctive desire to be the best; we all do. Take, for example, the local swimming pool. Have you ever been swimming along at your own leisurely pace - perhaps one length per minute - noticed out of the corner of your eye another swimmer who's going a little faster than you, and increased your speed to stay ahead? Maybe you don't even think about it, but you probably do.

Recently, I've been involved in an intense but silent rivalry with a swimmer who is significantly more advanced in years than myself. When I fist saw him in the pool, I naively didn't consider him a threat for this reason, but boy can the man swim. I'm solely a breaststroke man, while he effortlessly alternates between front crawl and breaststroke. We're equally fast when it comes to breaststroke, which he does once every three lengths, but his front crawl is frustratingly - fractionally - quicker than even my best efforts. No matter how hard I try, he always pulls ahead of me. But that doesn't stop me trying every single week to beat him. The rivalry has made me a stronger swimmer and an overall healthier person. It's also transformed what would otherwise be a dull, repetitive affair into something quite exciting in its own insignificant way.

We'd been at this twice a week for three months, not speaking once or even acknowledging each other's exististence. I didn't even know if it was a two-way rivalry until we met by chance in the locker room one evening. He kindly went out of his way to hold the door open for me and said: "You're a fine swimmer." I answered, "You're brilliant. I always try to keep up with you, actually." "Oh really? I always try to stay ahead of you."

That's the best form of rivalry, I think - a silent one. No one gets hurt and you both get the benefit of having a rival. There is an important etiquette to all forms of competition which should never be broken. The first step in a rivalry is respecting one's opponent. Throughout history, though, competition has gained a bad name due to arms races, countries going to war, husbands killing their wives' lovers. Indeed, competition can be used as an excuse to do evil.

Teamwork is important in life, but a team consists of individuals, and rivalry, when done right, makes those individuals better. So, be competitive. Have a rival in all that you do. As long as you shake hands when the race is won - or lost - competition is one of the things that makes life worth living.

On a final note, I've just completed an English Literature degree that was mainly fuelled by my competitiveness. Every assignment represented a chance to beat the friends and acquaintences whose work I respected the most - not in a malicious way, but solely as a way of improving myself. I ended up with the highest overall score.

Wait a minute, it was the joint highest.

And the other person just beat my dissertation.

Room for improvement.

Generation Y

You hear it a lot in the news: Generation Y - or the Facebook Generation, if you prefer - is going to live for a long time. My generation. Indeed, it will live for longer than any generation in history. Improvements in medicine, technology, the supposed end of the West's love affair with nicotine - someone has run all the countless variables through a super computer and determined that our average life expectancy will be remarkably high. The actuaries have calculated how much more we'll have to contribute to our pension schemes in order to stay in bread when we're 95, and, based on their changes to public sector pensions and tax increases, it seems that the government also has faith in our longevity. Either that or they just want to tax us more.

But are 'we' really going to live that long?

Call me a cynic, but when I look around, all I see are members of my generation and those of younger generations, getting excessively drunk every Friday night (doing untold damage to their livers in the process), smoking, maybe taking drugs, breakfasting at Burger King, and sitting for hours every day in front of TV and computer screens. How many Facebook statuses does one have to read that say "I got so wasted last night" before one starts to wonder if the scientists have made a big error in predicting a long and healthy life for 'us'? It was the baby boomers' good habits which have resulted in their longevity, more than medical advances.

Yet I can't argue with those medical advances. New cancer treatments, stem cell research (whether ethical or not), and other breakthroughs will certainly cure a lot of our diseases and mend our broken bones faster than ever before. However, at the risk of making a sweeping generalisation, it seems to me that my generation isn't looking after itself anywhere near well enough to live as long as, say, my grandmother, who's in her 80s. I'm not removing myself from this sad truth either: I could lose some weight; I've been sitting at this laptop for hours without getting up once. Who'd have thought that a chair could kill? But then again I've never smoked, I don't drink alcohol, and I'm more of a McDonald's kind of guy...just kidding.

The baby boomers have enjoyed unnaturally long lives, partly because they've benefited from the same advances 'we' will benefit from even more, but chiefly, I think, because they were born into a post-World-War-Two environment. When my mother was growing up in 1950s Liverpool, rationing was still in operation. It was a world in which children such as she could run freely through fields after school without their parents living in constant, media-fuelled fear of them scratching themselves, or being abducted. It was a time when there was still something to fight for. As for 'us' who were born in the late twentieth century, however, the world's been flattened and simplified so much that we're practically sedated in comparison.   

If I were one of those scientists, I'd stop shouting from the rooftops about how long Generation Y is going to live. It's the job of government to prepare for this eventuality, because it's largely a fact. 'We' are going to live longer than any previous generation. If I were them, I'd be more concerned with warning the young people of today who are abusing themselves in the name of YOLO that they're actually going to die much sooner than they need to. Yes, medicine has cured some terrible diseases that a person of my age in Britain can only imagine; yes, technology has opened up incredible possibilities. But please let's go back to basics. Eat more healthily, stop the binge drinking, put down the iPhone for five minutes and go for a walk with your mum around the block. That's the ticket to living a longer life, which no generation has a God-given right to. It has to be earned.

The 'Special' Relationship

Like many people in Britain this week, I've been watching the love-in between President Obama and David Cameron with a mixture of happiness that my country is still at the forefront of things and real scepticism.

It's all very stage-managed, of course, so much so that it leaves you wondering just how genuine the so-called Special Relationship really is. Britain and America obviously share a lot of history, some of which we're proud of and some obviously less so. We have a lot of cultural ties as well, but ours is primarily a military and economic alliance.

Whenever I see the PM and US President giving a news conference, I always think (with a wry smile on my face) of Hugh Grant's brilliant speech in 'Love Actually'. That speech is among Richard Curtis's best work because it perfectly summed up Britain's feelings towards the US during the build up to the Iraq War. It's the speech we all wanted Blair to make, but that he never did.

I doubt America has a better ally than us, militarily. We've shed a lot of blood to keep the Special Relationship alive and well, but what we've gotten out of it, I'm not really sure. Britain isn't a land of fools; we know that China, India, even Brazil are probably more important nowadays to the States (economically at least, and economics are all that matter) than we are. Our influence on America has always been an illusion, and it'll only become more so in the future.

When it comes to Britain, America is like a really attractive woman teasing a not-so-attractive guy. You think you have a chance with her; maybe she even shows you a nice smile; but all she's really doing is getting you to buy her a drink or do some DIY for her while all the time keeping you at a distance and giving other guys the same impression. In short, where is America in the current Falklands debate? I'll tell you where: they acknowledge our administration of the islands but won't be drawn on sovereignty. How nice. I doubt the sovereignty of the numerous islands around the world they use as military bases is in any question.

This is possibly the only matter on the table right now in which Britain could use some American help, but they're not going to give it to us. Why? On the surface, maybe it's because America (officially at least) is an anti-imperialist country, even though they possibly have the biggest unofficial empire right now that the world has ever known. The real reason, though, is because Argentina are very close to Brazil and Brazil's economy has just overtaken Britain's for the first time. Being Britain's friend isn't as lucrative as it used to be. Who knows what's going on behind the scenes and I'm sure Cameron's brought it up with Obama, but we shouldn't get our hopes up.

The Special Relationship is only special when the cameras are rolling. The rest of the time, it's pretty standard.

This blogging routine is definitely something one has to grow into. I hope to turn some of my more interesting entries (assuming there are any) into full-length articles in the future, possibly for a website or who knows a magazine. For now, however, blogging is just a good way of pouring my ideas and feelings out on paper (so to speak).

That's particularly useful for me because my girlfriend generally isn't very interested when I rant about the present state of football or the Commonwealth, or whatever else - in fact it can drive her kind of mad. Hopefully, there are some people out there who have already taken a look at this blog with interest and if you're one of them then thank you so much for taking a few precious minutes to read the words of a total stranger!

 

The problem with blogging, as I understand it, is not letting one's feelings dominate the agenda too much. You've got to put some of yourself into it, naturally, yet be universal and impartial at the same time. Somewhere between saying something relevant and not sounding pretentious is the problem. It's a real tightrope.

I've got a few busy weeks ahead of me at university, writing assignments and finishing my dissertation, but I'll find time where I can to write a couple of blogs. For example, I sense one brewing about the imminent Oscar awards - don't get me started on Streep (who's going to win by the way). And if anything else comes up in the world, those of you who want to know will find out what I think pretty soon. Thanks again.

The Empire Crumbles

First Scotland, then the Falkland Islands - what's next, Gibraltar? Britain's resolve to keep what's left of its empire is clearly being tested at the moment. When the Queen dies, Australia will probably declare a republic (unless Charles abdicates for the popular William, which isn't likely) and then other Commonwealth countries will follow suit.

And I suppose that's fair. As an Englishman, I wouldn't want the face of a foreign head of state on MY banknotes either thank-you-very-much, so why should Australians have to put up with it? If right is on our side in the current debate over the Faulklands' sovereignty (and I believe it is), if all people have the right to self-determination, then Scotland should definitely have their referendum on independence. David Cameron's argument is that Scotland would suffer immensely should they break from the U.K, but it's really a matter of our prestige.

Scotland will have the North Sea oil and gas (which we've failed to dry up entirely over the past 40 years), an NHS, and a generally sound infrastructure thanks to Britain to ensure they won't sink down to the level of, say, Bulgaria economically (apologies to any Bulgarians reading this). They'll suffer a bit, sure - their students will probably start paying tuition fees for instance - but on the whole they'll do fine and good luck to them.

The real problem is the rest of the UK. Cut by a third in size, our economy will suffer greatly, as will our presence on the world stage. What will happen to Trident? What about the national debt? The questions are endless, and that's why this will be kicked around for decades before anything definite happens. Alex Salmond, although he's a very capable man, may not even live to see Scottish independence.

As for the Falklands, I find Argentina's moaning rather hilarious. I've never seen such an obvious propaganda campaign designed to win support for a PM since Thatcher won the Falklands conflict. Britain has not been provocative in any way. William's deployment there is purely ceremonial (as is the entire Royal Family), and the warship we've sent there is merely replacing an older one. It's Argentina that has upped the ante recently by blocking Falklands ships from their ports etc. Even if Britain was 'militarising the conflict', we have every reason to. There is sort of a precedence for Argentina invading, after all... 

But I don't think Cameron's prepared to lose the Falklands or Scotland any time soon - not on his watch. Britain has been in decline as a power for decades, and that would be the final nail in the coffin.

Youngsters

I was having my bi-weekly swim tonight when about 12 kids decided to get in with me. Now, I was a young boy not so long ago (thankfully) and God knows I must have caused a few raised eyebrows among the elder swimmers as I sailed merrily around on my foam float. But I KNOW that even at the age of 10 I had enough respect to make sure I wasn't impeding the other swimmers while having my fun. My upbringing made sure of that. This lot tonight, however, were swearing quite loudly while doing some sort of ring a ring o' roses thing together right in the middle of the pool, and one or two of them must have easily been in their early teens so this was no small obstacle to get around. The lifeguards tried to tell them off, of course, but they were ignored and everyone else in the pool (there were about four of us) just avoided them. Who wants to get verbally abused or their car window smashed over whether they can swim in a straight line? I read over that last bit and am slightly disappointed with myself, because it's so easy to think the worst of young people, but one can't help it on nights like this. The older I get, the more right wing I become. Is this what getting old feels like - constantly despairing of and fearing the next generation? But then, I know many 'reformed' people who were total idiots at secondary school and something (mostly getting married and having a kid) put them on track again. So there's always hope.

The problem with fooball

I'm just reading about the Chelsea fans booing Rio Ferdinand yesterday for no reason other than that he's the brother of the player John Terry allegedly racially abused. The Liverpool fans disgracefully did this to Patrice Evra as well just last weekend for being the victim of Luis Suarez's abuse. Now, I don't mean to slag off football fans - the ones loyal (or crazy?) enough to go along to every game, spend their hard-earned money and put up with the freezing cold and, quite often, rubbish football (in the case of Liverpool this season anyway) - because without them the clubs wouldn't exist. Banter is a fantastic part of the game and opposition players have been booed from the dawn of time. However, where I and most rational people draw the line is when loyalty to your club trumps all notions of right or wrong. For too many fans, that their team wins at the weekend is all that matters - everything else is secondary, including their sense of decency. Both sets of supporters (Liverpool and Chelsea) should take a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror before the next game and ask themselves whether this is what they really want to be.

A Fresh Start

Only two years ago, I promised myself that I wouldn't do a couple of things. I wouldn't buy a smartphone, I thought, because they're expensive and consume all your time. I wouldn't join Twitter because it's just full of people who really think others are interested in how well they slept, what they ate for breakfast, how cool they think Lady Gaga is, and so on. I didn't think any of these things would be important anyway to my desired career - being a primary school teacher - in fact, you can get fired as a teacher for even having a Facebook account these days. Alas, only this week has my application to get on a PGCE course been rejected. I'm not giving up on teaching altogether, but the more I think about it, the happier I am that they turned me down, because, as happy as I think I'd have been in a classroom, it wouldn't have compared to how writing makes me feel. Maybe you can only understand this if you're a writer yourself, but there's something thrilling about reading your own stuff, whether it's a blog like this, a particularly smooth phrase you've used, or rushing to the news stand at university to read your own film review in the student paper (as often I have done). It's a very selfish thrill, something self-centred, but what's wrong with that in a brief life?

I know I had something genuine to offer future generations of school children, but that's gone for now. However, I think I can make myself happy and (if I'm lucky) some other people in the world happy, by writing things that truly interest to them. And I have such wide interests that I'm bound to speak to someone out there. Among other things, I am an avid sports fan (football and tennis mostly), a well-travelled young man (and soon to be even more so), someone who follows politics and the news, a film fanatic, a lover of art and music (mostly oldies and classical), and an admirer of some of the finer things in life. The lamp on my desk which I'm seeing by now is similar to the cool green ones in the library Morgan Freemon walks around in Se7en - that sort of finer thing. I give this list as a way of introducing myself to anyone out there reading this, but I realise that's a frivolous hope: getting to really know someone is hard, maybe impossible, and even if it is possible it takes a long, long time. But in aid of eventually being a writer, I want to use this blog to comment on a range of issues (current and general) that strike me as ones that I feel I can add my unique perspective to. This is all leading somewhere - hopefully being a writer for a newspaper or magazine in the future - but if not, it will make me happy anyway.

So, despite promising myself that I wouldn't be, I am the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy S (and the Samsung Note looks nice too), a new member of the Twitterati, and I've launched into the Blogosphere. Just seven years ago, where was Facebook, HD TV, 3D films, and the iPhone? Time's moving so quick it's scary, and those of us who want to need to keep up, especially if we want to be writers like I do. In another seven years, who knows where we'll be, but I'm pretty sure we'll be living even more online than we do now (unless there's a backlash and things like letter writing become cool again, which would be refreshing), but that's not such a bad thing in moderation. The Internet, as do we all, has such capacity for good.

If you've read this far (and I know it's been a bit long-winded), then maybe you'll be interested in reading some more in the future. Feel free to return to get my perspective on a few things. I look forward to us journeying together through the strange but mostly wonderful world we live in.

Best Wishes,
Mark Graham