Darwin 2

Under Pressure - Queen & David Bowie

lyrics here

These Victoria’s Secret models may be the ‘fittest’ in the body department, but what of their minds and their characters?

My view of being the “fittest” is being the “best”, and while a quick definition of “the best” may include in terms of wealth, beauty, offspring, and brains, I extend the definition to include compassion, empathy, kindness, and overall goodness. In my big picture of the world, I judge people based on how good of humans they are, and this does not measure only their financial or physical accomplishments, but their decency. This take on life is idyllic, I’ll admit, but I am someone who often goes on feeling, and the trait which I value above all else in others, is “the duty to be loving and kind” (Ruse, Wilson 510)

Of course in the world of careers, this sentiment is often ignored, because many employers care for the quality of the work, not the quality of the person behind it. In almost any field of work, it is preferable to outdo and outwit others vying for a position, because at the end of the day, it is ‘every man for himself’. “Two parties can strike a mutually profitable bargain, but each could gain still more by withholding its contribution.” (Nowak, May, Sigmund 403) The world of careers is one ridden with competition, jealousy, and double-dealings. It may be nearly impossible to promote an environment in which healthy competition governs the workplace.

In Japan, this proverb is regarded as the Golden Rule

I do agree with the idea that “ethics is a shared illusion of the human race.” (Ruse, Wilson 510) It seems that only humans have this code of what is right and what is wrong, and the fact that this code has been molded and changed throughout the centuries is proof of its arbitrary nature. Incest was once encouraged, slavery glorified, and the oppression of women was once accepted; yet all of these things violate our moral code today. I believe that what exists today are “human ethics based upon love and personal sympathy.” (Kropotkin 400)

The character Dwight Schrute on The Office is the very extreme of someone who will do anything to get ahead in the workplace.

I very much agree that “those who desire to improve may do so; to give those who desire to rise the aids by which they may rise; to assist, but rarely or never to do all.” (Carnegie 397), and perhaps it is that best sums up my idea of the perfect balance of compassion and competition in both the workplace, and life. Without either, we would not be the species we are today, and a mixture of the two can bring out the best qualities in each person.