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In his book, "Theory of Evolution," Charles Darwin said that the process of evolution was the history of DNA. The essence of evolution lies in variation, species diversity, and competition. Through these mechanisms, plants and animals have increased their number of species. As a strategy to preserve their life, each of them basically helps other plants or animals rather than living alone.
For example, most flowering plants on earth have increased their population by having symbiotic relationships with bees or butterflies. Most wild animals also live together with other animals or plants.
However, although human beings are called Homo sapiens, meaning "wise man," their greed has destroyed nature. Through competition and exploitation, industrial society has made nature an uninhabitable space. Disasters, such as the rapid population decline of bees, the COVID-19 outbreak and global warming, are all ill omens.
Italian philosopher Franco Beradi has rated Korea's society as the most unequal society in the world, because it has been forcing citizens to constantly compete. This phenomenon is encouraging extreme individualism, the desertification of everyday life, and the hyper acceleration of life's daily rhythm.
This has caused our society to have severely negative attitudes such as isolation, hatred or anxiety. There continues to be conflict between socioeconomic classes, ideologies, political parties, genders, generations, and religions, almost to the point of catastrophe. South Korea's presidential elections in 2022 were the final round of extreme competition.
Even worse, Yoon Suk-yeol's government is driving our society to be even more competitive. Such a society will bring about conflict and division. Instead, the government should help citizens to be more united and more reciprocal.
In our society, success stories such as cooperative learning in the classroom, the Star Alliance in the airline industry, and collaboration between large and mid-size companies means that cooperation beats out competition.
In nature, thriving plants or animals have always survived by having cooperative relationships with others.
On that point, one scholar's suggestion is meaningful: "Each member of an organization or society should do his or her best to display his or her capability by participating. Then, while other members are taking a break or sleeping, he or she will be able to have a comparative advantage through his or her efforts." It can be a process of collaboration.
In other words, a man should usually work in harmony with others, but during certain special times, he can take a competitive stance.
"Coopetition" is a portmanteau made up of the words competition and cooperation. Choi Jae-cheon, a professor of ecology at Ewha Womans University, coined the term.
Like Darwin's Theory of Evolution, diverse cultures, values, and systems have a long life. Advanced civilizations have pursued such an ideology. In the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, our society demands a lifestyle like coopetition.
The writer (shinykim60@hanmail.net) is a retired English teacher who published a book titled, "Flower Is Flower."
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