all the negative have always been self justifiable. hey murder and war are just getting off the list of things acceptable to succeed

I find it more disturbing that persons become so passioned with winning they lose their moral compass. Lying, cheating, and stealing has become the norm to win.

Beautifully put, Marie. I'd like to add that I think it's simply because we evolved to have the instinctive desire to outrank each other for the sake of attracting the best mate. Survival of the fittest. And as Marie stated, the trouble lies when we allow this desire to consume us. There's nothing wrong with ambition, not at all.Wanting to achieve absolutely everything we'd like to, and actually working hard to achieve it -- that's very, very admirable. I envy people with ambition. What I don't envy of them is how, often enough, they have little time for themselves and their loved ones, as every moment is geared towards their hard work. Finding balance is key. Even if your true and complete happiness lies solely within your work, most people will find that there's "something missing" from their lives given enough time. Not everyone, of course. But loads.

I think it's a sense of accomplishment. Humans want to be the best, the best hunters, the best parents, the best mates, it guarantees survival. So when we feel the best, we feel accomplished.

I think the issue arises when we let being the best consume us, we brag about it, flaunt it like a diamond ring. We put off others this way and gain a morphed view of self importance. We are no longer the best because we need to be to survive, we are the best because we want to be.

I never really thought about it before I asked the question. In fact I never thought about it until I saw the responses to my question. Now that I thought about it, I suppose so, a little.

Thinking about it some more, it is a question worth further investigating.

What is fun about winning?

i guess it depends why. i love to turn anything into a race. and the point of racing is to try to win. really its just something you do and narcissism is just a word coined to describe selfish behavior. is it because your selfish?(we all are to some degree)

Very clever, XD

Ha, again. I am the first responder to the brilliant post.

I AM FIRST two times in a row.