What Types of Competitions Can I Invite My Chimp?

The word “competition” sounds like a simpleton’s idea of a contest, but competition has so many subplots and interpretations that it is almost an adjective. For instance, a contest can mean a contest between states to develop more roadways; it can mean a battle between nations to produce weapons that can win in war; it can mean a contest among nations to build the biggest tallest and fastest freestanding structure; and it can even mean a contest among nations to get the fastest train on earth. Competition is also a contest in which two or more people strive for a common end which can not be shared: where the gain of one person is that of another, or a species’ gain. Competition can occur between organisms like bacteria, humans, social and cultural groups, and even other organisms.

Since humans seem to have a tendency to compete for more than they gain, some types of animals are born with very competitive tendencies. Chimpanzees, for instance, show a high level of intra-generational competition, with young chimps choosing to fight until they can bring down their own mother rather than allow another chimp to mate with her. Dolphins also engage in intra-generational competition, with some displaying maternal instinct toward their own offspring, and others competing to catch the more dominant members of their group. Humans, like other primates, have a tendency to compete for cash prizes, with humans winning and losing money in contests for things like cash or power.

Even in human societies without large-scale competitions, there are still those who participate in competitions for the purposes of acquiring more money or power. In many human societies, children exchange gifts and favors for the chance to participate in competitions, and those who participate often use the gifts or favors to buy gifts for their siblings or friends. Competitions can take many forms and often depend on different standards of conduct. No matter what type of competition you’re considering, if it’s for something of significance, you should take the time to think about how you might arrange it and whether you would be able to handle the results of the competition.