Are We Always In Competition?

Competition is everywhere. It's even there for animals and plants. Competition for food and water, for space and habitat, and for mates. Competition is there for even the simplest of life forms.

So what are we humans, in competition for? Or at what age does competition become something we engage in?
Well, competition is introduced to us from a young age. We play games with our siblings, friends and family. And we are encouraged to be the winner in that game or at least try your best (to win!) Therefore it's understandable that competition stays with us and grows bigger as we become competitive over bigger things. Perhaps competition is what gives us drive, whether it's between ourselves or being better than others. So if the aim is to win the game. Define the game. Is it to have a boyfriend/girlfriend before your friends? to get better grades? to be prettier or thinner than others? Is it to have a bigger house than your sister? A more 'successful' marriage than your parents? Or having better behaved children than your friends? Perhaps it that we are driven by competition, in whatever form.
Jealousy comes along with competition. Even if we try as hard as we can we just can't seem to be as popular or as bright as others, it can drive us mad. We can become severely jealous of said persons. Whether we let it out or keep it deep inside of us, we may all be in some form of competition.
In the end perhaps the hardest form of competition is the one with yourself. Because even if you win, you still had to lose.