The concept of cooperation rather than competition prepares young people for leadershipWrite a response in which you discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the claim. In developing and supporting your position, be sure to address the most

Education, especially what must be taught and how, is of vital concern to society. Some visionaries, including the speaker, speak of a world in which cooperation rather competition leads to more prosperous production of the young with strong leadership. I agree with the speaker that young people are well prepared for leadership within a framework of cooperation. However, I am not deaf to the merits of competition. It is erroneous to conclude that a sense of competition is worthless, and I, therefore, insist that concepts of both cooperation and competition must be weighed appropriately.

To begin with, one reason for my fundamental agreement with the speaker is as follows: in order for the young to acquire a sense of leadership, the notion of cooperation must be made clear. Simply put, leadership exists among people in an organization where the members share common ultimate goals and work cooperatively for the achievement of these goals. Although examples can be presented in a plethora of ways, two that aptly illustrate this point involve the areas of business and politics.

Consider first a case of leadership in a field of business. A company is established in an effort to make profit, and it is usually composed of members who have shared objectives. Especially for small start-up companies, cooperation rather than competition is required to fight against competitors. Much the same kind of statement can be made in the case of politics. Each member of a certain political sect is united because they share the same fundamental policy toward politics. In order to refute or sometimes conquer other parties, they must unite and cooperate rather than rail against each other. It is clear as shown by these two examples that cooperation is important.

I believe, as stated above, that teaching a sense of cooperation is the very foundation upon which the young effectively acquire a sense of leadership. However, I insist that one must embrace the principle that a combination of cooperation and competition is required for the enrichment of leadership in the young. It is important that each individual learns the fact that both cooperation and competition constitute our form of society, and bereft of one of the two, no full-fledged leadership can be fostered, let alone accomplished.

Why might this be so? The simple answer is this: no longer does it make sense to think of the notions of cooperation and competition as separate entities, for they coexist in society, inextricably bound with each other. If one were to return to the business example discussed above, a rationale of my assertion becomes clearer.

Any company, whether it is a gigantic automobile company or a small manufacturing factory, operate their business in an environment in which a certain degree of competition exists. To sell their own products, they must outmaneuver competitors. Reduction of prices, improvement of qualities, and development of new technologies to name a few; there are various ways by which they can excel in the field of their business, but one thing the leader of the company should keep in mind is that their tactics must be deployed in full consideration of competition among competitors, as well as cooperation that exist within the organization.

In sum, instilling a concept of cooperation into young people for the purpose of leadership may look persuasive and true to life. This is true and on this point, I agree with the speaker. However, focusing solely on the importance of cooperation is fallacious within the framework of a broader perspective, especially in a pluralistic society where monistic approaches fail to solve a given problem. I do not think instilling a sense of cooperation is sufficient in helping young people acquire a sense of leadership], nor do I think that [instilling a sense of competition alone is adequate. Focusing exclusively on a sense of cooperation maybe sustainable in the short run, but it is not viable in the long run.