Competition can be healthy in the right circumstances. It can also be a lot of fun in the right environments.
In the corporate sense it often doesn't do us any favours (as reflected in the current state of affairs).
Traditionally we've seen competition means someone loses, or gets burned. It might even mean someone loses their legacy or livelihood. It puts people in positions to squabble over resources, scarcity, strife.
The system may have been designed with great intent, These days it only brings out the worst in us; we're destroying each other and our planet. Why? To step over each other to get a bigger piece of a pie?
A pie that means very little in the big picture? We're here for a finite time. A time which would be enjoyed much more if we weren't too busy trying to step over each other.
Collaboration on the other hand brings abundance. I personally see this in many DAO's I operate in; Bankless DAO, SuperUMAn DAO, 0xPolygon Ecosystem, the Frabric.
We all promote openness and transparency, with that comes unprecedented levels of collaboration. Whether that's branding and awareness events, AMA's, mental health hangouts, Saturday socials, there are an abundance of programs to bring us together.
Not just the micro-communities of our individual DAO's, it also encompasses the macro communities of our ecosystems (even beyond our chosen chains).
When we come together we realize just how alike we are (despite our uniqueness). Bringing each other together humanizes us. We're no longer faceless PFP's in a sea of anon's.
We start lifting each other up more, growing more. Resources go from scarce to available. Contributors go from burnt out to productive. How does that make sense?
People do business with people. Not a banner, a flag, a cause, or any of that. We show up for each other. Where and how we show up for each other depends on our own biases and preferences, belief systems and passions. Sometimes, perhaps even our fears (we see you DAOpunks making a hard pass on Corprat culture).
These communities are thriving and buzzing with activity. Not just among people who are actively building their missions. They're active with their peers and friends who support and believe in the missions in other ways.
Yes, there are ways to support projects beyond financial means and sweat equity.
Only by embracing each other and creating a space to be open, transparent and collaborative will we achieve the ambitious, sovereign targets us web3 natives have set for ourselves.
