The assumption that society has a fixed amount of goods, which are themselves divisible, has led to the “zero-sum game” hypothesis in global politics. The theory purports that one nation’s acquisition of goods necessarily entails another nation’s net loss. Access to water and food, ports of entry for trade, and raw material for infrastructure are common material goods over which nations commonly battle. But not all goods are tangible. Nations also desire domestic security, social cohesion, and a sense of patriotism among the body politic. What sensible person would not rejoice in these kinds of shared goods? After all, they are neither divisible nor capable of exchange. Unfortunately, state actors will sometimes envisage even these goods of their neighbors’ political cache as assaults on their own nation’s political well-being. The result is a constant environment of competition, aggression, and even war. To foster global peace—so desperately needed in our time—nations must abandon the zero-sum game mentality. My neighbor’s gain does not necessarily constitute my loss. In fact, it might even constitute my good.
While it would be far too simplistic to impugn the motives of present-day global actors as belonging to the zero-sum game mentality, we would do well to look within our own lives first, at our own presumptions about the goods others enjoy. In our neighborhoods, places of work, and schools, do we imagine the success of another as our personal loss—leading to feelings of resentment and even envy—or can we do the hard work of seeing these gains as our gains, too?
Thankfully, God is not limited in his gifts. Indeed, he is never outdone in generosity. The very nature of a gift is its propensity to be shared. St. Paul put it masterfully, “When one part [of the body of Christ] is honored, all parts share its joy” (1 Cor 12:26). In a letter penned to his confrere, Pope Cornelius, the third century bishop St. Cyprian writes, “On learning of the honor you had won by your witness, we were filled with such joy that we felt ourselves sharers and companions in your praiseworthy achievements. After all, we have the same Church, the same mind, the same unbroken harmony. Why then should a priest not take pride in the praise given to a fellow priest as though it were given to him? What brotherhood fails to rejoice in the happiness of its brothers wherever they are?”
Christians should imitate the worthy example of these saints, who saw in the achievements of their fellow believers a mark of the blessings of God on His Church, in which they shared an indivisible part. To work toward peace in our world, we can begin with peace in our hearts. Peace is not merely the absence of war—or the lack of hatred or aggression or competition. Peace is the harmony that exists when things are properly ordered according to their design. If we sense our lives as being disharmonious—lacking that proper ordering toward the good—we might begin with the worthy exercise of eschewing competition and rejoicing in the goods of our neighbors. In a word, we should stop playing the zero-sum game.
