Upping the Ante

Trey Smith

Observe that nowadays our police forces have at their disposal technology that could barely have been imagined fifty years ago. They have methods of surveillance which enable them to see what formerly was hidden; they have DNA matching, forensic laboratories, sniffer dogs, and, of course, highly trained personnel. Yet criminal methods are correspondingly advanced so they really are no better off...The increasing sophistication of criminal and police methods is a vicious and mutually reinforcing cycle.
~ from Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama ~

Growing up, I always was taught about the positives of our socioeconomic model. Competition was good for society because it spurred innovation and creativity. It forces people to reach ever higher and higher because you don't want the other guy or gal to outdo you.

In my mind, I think there is no question that this competitive [adversarial] system has it perks, but it also has its downsides. With all the emphasis on winning or coming out on top (ends), it encourages cheating (means). It makes it far more difficult to achieve a sense of community and comradeship because you never know when your ally might undercut you to edge ahead in the all-important race to outshine others. And, it creates "vicious cycles" of upping the ante in areas that are a detriment to society and the planet.

Just take a look at the so-called "War on Terrorism." It doesn't seem to matter how much money we spend, what strategies we adopt or the level of sophistication of our weaponry; the "terrorists" keep devising newer strategies of their own to accomplish their objectives. Each innovation by one side leads to greater destruction and carnage by the other. This cycle seems set to continue with no end in sight.

There is a line in Verse 3 of the Tao Te Ching that speaks to this issue indirectly.

The wise therefore rule by emptying hearts and stuffing bellies, by weakening ambitions and strengthening bones.

From my perspective, the engine of our competitive system is ambition. We are taught from an early age that the only way we can live a meaningful life is through "becoming" someone. We must aim high to achieve great merit or success. If we don't aim for the top rung of the ladder, we both will have failed society and ourselves.

It is this constant striving that is the seed of our own alienation and estrangement from The Way. Tao does not strive, yet nothing is left undone. Tao doesn't force things to occur -- they occur of their own accord.

It is this tension between the way the universe operates and the manner in which human society has chosen to operate that causes this emptiness that we each feel in our lives. That's why we create religions, philosophies and ideologies to try to shore up the foundation; the attempt to fill us with a sense of purpose.