These reflections arise from reading about the pressures on airline pilots, air traffic controllers, workers subject to ‘keystroke counts’ and other ‘Musklike” pressures being constantly introduced into our world of work. Humans love to compete as it brings out  marvelous performances now and then.  But have you ever wondered while watching Olympics at what point the bar of excellence will exceed the human frame?  Will there come a time when these competitions become so chained to overwhelming ambition the Olympics become like horse racing where these days the organic bodies of the poor horses demand payback through injury or death for the abuse of their physical limits. Even in beloved American football and soccer the struggle between the organic human limits and high performance becomes incrementally more pressured the collateral body damage clicks up.

Pure tone economic growth is another of those “keystroke count” forms of performance motivation that may be partially if not largely responsible for the ‘sadness’ of our society these days.  If you speed up a treadmill one notch every day in the health club you will find yourself running at top speed within a few weeks with something terminal waiting. Growing the economy without reference to the organicity of the human beings that comprise it sets up something ultimately fatal as well.  The culprit in competition launches itself through greed and hubris. There is a significant organic gap between the metrics of count and the human reality. 

Good is accepting the reality something is wrong in our culture and economy right now.  Believe it or not there once was and can again be motivators better than head-to-head-sudden-death competition.  March Madness isn’t called that for no reason.  It works great for short basketball tournaments, but is a invitation to all kinds of bad when it comes to human services and resource distribution.  This nation always imperfect, was once grounded in the beauty of true public service as a prime motivator and could be again if we return to the core virtues essential for a true democracy.