Competition is the life blood of every democratic society. The struggle to succeed in every walk of life is both encouraged and often rewarded. Accomplishment, earned or not is a visible measure of success, considered the end justifying the means for many individuals. This is shown not only in human societies, for example in democratic elections, business arrangements and personal relationships but also in the nature of evolution itself. Unfortunately, neither the obstacles overcome nor the accomplishments mastered give any measure of the true happiness and individual achieves. Only through a balance of both, can an individual truly find peace.
Darwin's evolutionary theory shows that only the `fittest' will survive. An organism that overcomes many obstacles will not win the evolutionary lottery. The same thing can be seen in poker, one can struggle and beat most hands but still lose the pot to the better hand. This shows that the struggle is not enough to produce success.
On the other hand accomplishment is no measure of happiness. There are enough depressed movie stars and politicians to illustrate that fact. Isn't the image of the sadden business tycoon, rich but alone not just an movie image, but something ingrained in our cultural fabric perhaps most poignantly shown in Orsen Wells classic line `Rosebud?'
The only true measure of happiness is the ability to live with the cards dealt. Understanding both the struggle and accomplishment will come hand in hand during a lifetime. The individual can do little to influence both but can choose to life happily with either.
