EDWARD THEOPHILUS

Competition is a helpful disposition in the dynamic environment and might help for social and economic progress if it works well in society concerning the broader spectrum. The concept of competition entered politics as a feature of democracy, and many opinions that competition in politics would be harmful to society when competition animates, dividing people in society. In connection with Sri Lanka, it observed that the competition in politics has divided the society as every matter of human life has been invaded by politics. This idea may not be accepted by many who engage in competitive politics, people with historical knowledge gratifying the view comparing social experience in the current society and the past might have different points of view. Sometimes, diverse people might argue about competition with the broader view as it can find supportive and contrary panorama.

However, the pure competition gradually turned into an oligopoly that defined in the game theory that zero-sum two persons will be achieved when entered an unusual competition, especially in economic activities, many firms dissolved or sold out because of lack of ability to compete. During the past several centuries people haven’t had a concrete experience like the Covid-19 pandemic that forced them to change attitudes toward social, economic, political, and religious aspects. G8 countries have agreed to increase tax for multinational firms because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The concept of competition had been working engendering society and creating massive disadvantage to the poor, but political administration in the capitalist system elevated competition stating it will create benefit to society. It is the pluralist problem.

During the reign of Kings and Queens, a cut-thought competition was not animated in a liberal format by a political administration that had direct or indirect support to rich people. Most probably such competition could have led to destroying the capitalist class. Despite the deep analysis of the competitive environment, it showed that monopolistic competition embarked on the market, reducing the spirit of competition. As monopolistic competition was among few, it disadvantaged the poor than pure competition. Business giants in the reign of royals may have a difference in strategy in terms of royal advisors to secure the capitalist system and protect the capitalist approach from communist ideology. The visible nature of the world was a competitive environment was working, dividing people and creating disadvantages for the poor. Powerful countries in the world are gradually understanding the truth at present and attempt to make some decisions and the determination of the success of such decisions is too early.

In the modern era, it observes that cut-thought competition is being a part of a business, and firms promote products in a market economic system highlighting the products that are closer to the desires of consumers, and many accept that the market economic system has been supported creating disadvantages to the poor despite a few ratios of the community look opposite way. Entrepreneurs and capitalists are generating massive benefits which are not reflected as profits but in other formats such as share options, housing, and many others. People who have capital in hand or capable of borrowing may able to get market power in this situation and competition keep in hand. Political focus and economic policies in many countries could be seen either have refuge in the two aspects of competition secretly manipulate to show justice to the mass community.

Another repercussion of modern competition is the declining trend of product quality. People observe much cheating in price slashing, product quantity changes, quantity changes in product ingredients, and many others in modern competition. A notable example shows in Sri Lanka arts have entered a competition and the quality of products such as teledrama, cinema, and many products are being declined and use the market of drama to promote business.

The traditional society had been efficiently operated and aligned to competition with reasonable routes. In modern society, regulations have become an instrument to show justice whilst they become a constraint providing limited opportunities, however, the mass community accepts that regulation provides justice to a certain extent as they support minimizing disadvantages. Another vital point in the traditional society was that entry-exit abilities for business were free and people had very limited concern on the matter. Regulations in the modern business environment show support justices, however, many instances show that they support limiting entering new investors to the market.  

When critically evaluate socio-economic, political, and religious evolution, the COVID-19 pandemic has become a turning point of changing society when compared to evidence found in the past several centuries. It came to this world in 2019 as an epidemic and quickly infected people in China. WHO later revealed the epidemic was a pandemic that spreads all over the world. No doubt that the pandemic can infect people in any country and spread without discrimination. Since 2019, businesses have been suffered from the pandemic relating to factors of production, distribution of production, and selling productions. Producers and consumers are suffered from various areas of production and consumption-related issues. The Covid-19 pandemic has influenced human life than any other incident except world wars in history. However, governments, political, social, and economic organizations reluctant to openly talk about the real impact of the pandemic as they assume, open talks would be harmful to society 

After the spread of the pandemic, notable changes in attitudes of people are visible in the socio-economic environment, as many countries have recognised social distancing as an effective way of controlling the spreading of the virus, it is seen in many countries lockdowns and opening frequently and the situation has become perilous experience, some instances difficult to adapt.  

Since the 1980s developed as well as developing countries gave priority to service industries in which social gatherings were a common feature such as in sports, nightclubs, and many other services that promoted social integration. Poor people and the middle class associated with social and economic integration that has been generated economic and social benefits such as employment, small business opportunities, subcontracts, and understanding each other for business promotion. From the religious point of view, social integration is forced to reject social values and promote the immoral behavior of the young generation, making a society forcing the governments to spend more funds for policing and controlling illicit drugs, alcohol, prostitution, and conflicts. Social integration has generated advantages and disadvantages. Rich people in all countries gained massive advantages and market opportunities from social integration and the social distancing began with the covid pandemic created massive losses to the rich.  

Now it seems developed countries attempt to manipulate the market by misleading people. The best example is market manipulation in the property market and media supports fabricating land and house prices massively increased when many people are suffering without money to buy a piece of land to build a house. It is like the statement made by the French queen if there is no bread to eat cake. When poor people have no shelters to live in, capitalist governments say land and house prices have gone up. If it thinks from the point of view of religion, governments sell lands that were created by God for people ignoring the poor. The covid pandemic forces to change market manipulation and do justice to the poor.

I visited a place where the government organised to jab covid vaccine and people haven’t had smiling faces as they were concerned about the effect of the pandemic. People need to change attitudes towards many aspects. The capitalist system used price mechanisms to answer basic economic problems, and after the Russian Revolution, Central Planning Systems in communist countries fixed to answer basic economic problems, and many countries attempted to follow a mixed economy that has a mixture of capitalist and communist systems. These systems ignored genuine issues of the poor who represent over 70% of the world population.

COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to invent an alternative method that would be reasonable to the rich and poor in consumption, investment, and saving. The higher rate of profits generate from enterprises goes to capital owners and executive management of firms. Poor workers push behind the rich class and to gain a small benefit the families need to struggle that creating problems society. Many small countries are blotted to spreading the myth of modernization in the market and certain fashion forces young people to accept immoral behavior and addict vicious narcotics. Technology has been an innovative aspect, but it has failed to give justice to society. All activities in the modern market safeguard the principles of a capitalist system and changing attitudes of people to force the rulers to make a new market approach is directly or indirectly by the covid pandemic. However, rulers of large developed countries have no agreement on this matter. They want to hang in capitalist approaches.

Innovation in the social system and promoting human values based on science and technology are needed but not converting them to make massive profits to rich class and promoting these attitudes to change society is reminded by the Covid pandemic. The current system of treatments in the economic and social system might not be useful for the post-pandemic environment. Justice in society will be achieved by conserving together economy and society with justice.

Religious attitudes of people are disciplined by public behavior of people than thinking about religions (philosophical and social aspects) are not from the point of view of scientific discoveries. Beliefs of people on religious concepts have ingrained looking at discoveries on the planet Mars. When religions began in the world, people had a mere belief about the planet Earth and now people believe about the universe which comprises billions of galaxies, and the power of almighty God creating the universe and controlling it. Although people think almighty God is like a human, it is not. The role of religions is to convince those humans in a fallen stage upgrading to convincing grace is an essential task. People were relegated to the fallen stage because of various reasons, religions give reasons for committing sins, and all religions, irrespective of what religion is, support people, to come on convincing grace.