People can achieve goals by cooperation rather than competition.

My opponent has created an area of potential confusion that I would like to start by clearing up. The topic that I am debating on the pro side of is "People CAN achieve goals by cooperation rather than competition. " However my opponent has stated "People can achieve goals by competition rather than cooperation. " Competition and cooperation are not mutually exclusive meaning it is possible to achieve goals through competition and/or cooperation. All I am required to do to win this debate is argue that it is POSSIBLE to achieve a goal with cooperation. That seems a little too easy, and I would not want to cut my opponent short of the debate that my opponent was trying to have. I suspect that my opponent is arguing that competition is MORE IMPORTANT than cooperation when trying to achieve a goal. In which case I would have to prove that cooperation is more important than competition. Arguing over which is more important (cooperation or competition) strikes me as a much better debate than arguing over the possibility of achieving a goal with cooperation. I am making an assumption and I hope my opponent will affirm or correct that assumption in the next round. So… ____ Cooperation is more important than competition in achieving a goal. Competition directly implies two or more opposing forces. However a goal is "the result or achievement toward which effort is directed" (Dictionary. com). You do not have to have an opponent or other force in order to achieve a goal. For example, someone may have the goal of being able to walk again after a severe injury. That person's doctor may have the goal of getting that person to walk again. So after a while the doctor and the patient work together until the patient can walk again. They cooperate to achieve the goal. Competition alone will almost never help someone achieve a goal. It will simply be an obstacle to overcome on the way to a goal. If that challenge encourages someone then good for them, but it is the encouragement that will help them achieve the goal, not the competition or obstacle itself. Cooperation is very important in achieving a goal even in areas that you might think of as competitive. In sports you have to cooperate with your teammates in order to win. Sure, you might be competing against the other team, but if they were to stop competing, winning the game would be much easier. Therefore cooperation makes it easier to achieve a goal while competition makes it harder. In sales you may have the goal of increasing your sales by 30% by the end of the year. You would have to cooperate with your current customers or cooperate with new customers in order to achieve that goal. Sure, there might be other people out there competing against you, but everyone can still achieve the goals that have been set. Even if you are alone cooperation is more important. What if you have the goal to be able to run a mile in 5 minutes? You have to have the cooperation of the weather, those who affect your schedule so you can train, and you have to have the cooperation of your knees. Believe me, if you start competing with them while you are trying to run a mile that will not help you achieve the goal. My opponent may have the goal of winning this debate/competition. If that is indeed my opponent's goal, my opponent may argue that this debate is an example of competition being more important than cooperation in order to achieve the goal of winning. The reality however is that competition is part of the goal, not the way to achieve it. The destination is not the path. And so even though I too have the goal of winning this debate/competition, I know that I will only achieve that win if the audience cooperates with me by voting pro. Thank you