Predator — Prey Mindset vs Humanistic approach towards life
The world is built upon shades of grey. People approach life in various ways. How I see it, the world is approached by people in two different ways broadly speaking.
The first is the Predator-prey mindset. This is your typical type A’s. The ones who love to compete, the ones who love to win, the ones who are always measuring whether they are winning or losing. There are different extremes of it. It can manifest in the form of career success, possessions, relationships, looks, and any other facet on which humans can compare themselves against another.
People take this approach to various degrees. Some would restrict it only to their careers, others would take it to encompass all aspects of their lives. Whatever they do, they are always wondering if they are winning or losing.
This approach has its merits. One pushes oneself to be their best version. One produces more output in all facets. However, it comes with its downsides too. You are always switched on, this can get exhausting. Secondly, you quite often view life as a zero-sum game. Not accounting for the fact that life is not a game to be won but an experience to be enjoyed, cherished, and lived through. At some point, hardship or a calamity could force people to reconsider their approach to life. This initially leads to an existential crisis that stems from a vacuum as to how to go about living one’s life. This brings me to the second approach of living life. A humanistic approach
A humanistic approach is a more empathetic approach towards life. You reflect on your actions, you consider your words, you consider people’s feelings and you also let life happen to you. In this approach rather than going to war with life at all times, you choose to experience it. This approach does not necessarily mean you take it easy, but instead, you give it your best but you choose to accept outcomes as they come.
Life is no longer a zero-sum game but more of a win-win game. You try to live life in such a way that you take care of yourself and those around you. Such people shy away from authority but when given roles of leadership can do remarkable feats. These people jar those who approach life with a predator-prey mindset. At times life is a bit more overwhelming with the humanistic approach since you tend to reflect and think more but in the end it leads to a cleaner conscience and more peaceful nights.
Most authority figures around you probably approach life with a predator-prey mindset. The world would be a nicer place to live in if more roles of leadership were taken up by people who had a humanistic approach towards life.
