Balancing Individual and Collective Interests

Human beings are animals. And like all animals we compete for resources. Human beings are also social. And like all social species we cooperate with each other because there is strength in numbers. This creates a necessary tension between the interests of individuals and the interests of society in general. How we balance these concerns is the defining struggle of the human species. We cannot make the mistake of overly favoring one over the other.

Competition is good. It drives people to do bigger and better things. The technological and medical innovations that improve our world are disproportionately produced in places where people and businesses are allowed to freely compete. However, unchecked, competition creates divisions between people - the winners and the losers, the haves and the have-nots - and, ironically, decreases competition when those in the lower classes are no longer able to compete with those in the upper classes because of their lack of resources.

Cooperation is good. A group of people can accomplish more than an individual. However, when the group's needs are prioritized over the individual's needs, there is the real risk of stagnation. If no one is incentivized to produce new ideas or work hard, the end result will be a group that is equally miserable.

Competition and cooperation must be balanced. I believe this is important to remember when considering certain political issues. I think many people tend to think of their side as "right" and the opposing side as "wrong", but, in reality, it's usually a question of balancing our individual interests against our collective interests. (Of course this doesn't apply to all issues, but it's a question worth keeping in mind.) This tug of war, with luck, keeps us from teetering too close to either edge.

However, we're not always lucky. And I'm not here to ask people to moderate beliefs. I think it's every person's duty to tug as hard as they can in the direction they believe society should head - because they can be sure that their opponents will.