一部小学校の運動会では、ヨーイドンで一緒にスタートし、ゴールインもみんな一緒に、というレースが展開されているらしい。トップもいなければビリもいない。運動会から勝負が消えれば、「アカカテ、シロカテ」の応援も消えるのだろうか。だが、世界的運動会のオリンピックでは、世界中の競技者が唯一の金メダルを目指して人生を賭けている。敗北の口惜しさがなければ「よくても悪くても金メダル」というチャレンジ精神も生まれない。勝利の日の丸がなければ、①「ニッポン、チャチャチャ」の合唱も沸きはしない。
福沢諭吉の言葉、「天は人の上に人を作らず、人の下に人を作らず」は一般に平等宣言と受け取られているようだ。果たして本当だろうか。確かに人間は等しく裸で生まれてくる。だが、生まれた瞬間から個人の能力も肉体的条件も平等ではない。そして個人を受け入れる社会も平等ではない。諭吉の言葉を平等宣言とするならば、すべての個人は平等にチャレンジする権利を保証されなければならない。ただし、チャンスの前に、個人は過去の努力を試される。たとえチャンスは平等に開かれても、チャレンジのプロセスは競争の連続なのだ。②「社会は人の上に人を作り、人の下に人を作る」すべての結果は努力の結果であり、その意味でだけ人間は平等なのだ。
競争なき社会。聞こえはいい。一見平等だと思える。しかし、競争こそ最も平等な制度である。競争が激しければ激しいほどそこには公平な機会が存在する。機会が開かれていないと競争は存在しない。これは完璧に同じ意味だと考える。例えばSONY、HONDA。日本の屈指の企業である。そこの一員になるのは至難の業。非常に猛烈な競争の挙句わずかの選ばれしものしか入社できない。いわゆる血縁、地縁、学縁といったコネとかお金とかを使って会社に入るのは不可能だ。じゃ、なぜそれらの企業はそいうするのか？毎年財力、権力がある人々が自分の息子をその企業に就職されたら、誰もその企業について文句いわないはず。激しい競争をもたらす大企業や市場経済について悪口言う市民団体や言論のリーダーたちの子女がその企業に入れば、文句は言われない。しかし、SONYやHONDAに入るためには猛烈な競争を勝ち抜かなければなりません。その競争があるからこそ、私たちに機会が与えられる。したがって、日々社会が競争で熱くなるというのはこの社会がますます公平になっていくことだと思う。③本当に意味での平等は、トップとビリをつけることではないだろうか。
AI translation, cross-checked between two models.
It seems that at the sports days of some elementary schools, races are held in such a way that everyone starts together at the “Ready, go!” signal and crosses the finish line together as well. There is neither a winner nor anyone who comes in last. If competition disappears from sports days, will chants of “Go, Red Team! Go, White Team!” disappear as well? Yet at the Olympics, the world’s great sporting festival, athletes from around the globe stake their lives on the pursuit of a single gold medal. Without the bitter frustration of defeat, the spirit of taking on the challenge of “gold medal, no matter what” would never arise. Without the Japanese flag being raised in victory, the chorus of ①“Nippon, cha-cha-cha!” would never erupt either.
Fukuzawa Yukichi’s words, “Heaven does not create one person above another, nor one person below another,” seem to be generally understood as a declaration of equality. But is that really so? Certainly, all human beings are born equally naked. Yet from the very moment of birth, people are unequal in both individual ability and physical condition. Nor is the society that receives each individual equal. If Yukichi’s words are to be taken as a declaration of equality, then every individual must be guaranteed an equal right to take on challenges. However, when an opportunity arises, each individual is tested on the efforts they have made in the past. Even if opportunities are equally open to everyone, the process of taking on challenges is a continuous series of competitions. ②“Society creates people above others and people below others.” Every outcome is the result of effort, and it is only in that sense that human beings are equal.
A society without competition. It sounds good. At first glance, it seems equal. Yet competition itself is the most equal system. The fiercer the competition, the more fairly available the opportunities are. Competition cannot exist unless opportunities are open. I believe these two things mean exactly the same thing. Take SONY and HONDA, for example. They are among Japan’s leading companies. Becoming a member of one of those companies is extremely difficult. After extremely fierce competition, only a small number of selected candidates are able to join them. It is impossible to get into such companies by using connections based on family ties, regional ties, school ties, or money. Then why do those companies do things that way? If people with wealth and power could get their sons employed by those companies every year, surely no one would refrain from criticizing those companies. Yet when the children of civic groups or opinion leaders who criticize large corporations and the market economy for creating fierce competition get into those companies, no complaints are made. However, to join SONY or HONDA, one must prevail in extremely fierce competition. It is precisely because that competition exists that opportunities are given to us. Therefore, I believe that the growing intensity of competition in society means that society is becoming increasingly fair. ③Perhaps true equality means precisely allowing there to be a first-place finisher and a last-place finisher.
Comments