Rules

 

The Rules of the Road

So these are the ropes
The tricks of the trade
The rules of the road
You're one of the dopes
For whom they were made
The rules of the road

Let’s hear it for the rules!

A contest for dominance between only two players involves no rules.  Either player can lie, cheat, or steal to be dominant, win.  A contest with rules, especially rules enforced by referees, does not have to only be a contest of dominance.  If the losing player is not destroyed, can complete in future contests, either with the winner of that contest or some other player, then the result of that and many contests can also be one of certainty, in addition to dominance.

It might seem like a contest is only between two teams, contestants.  But if you look closely that is because the third team in the field/arena/court, the referees, are virtually invisible if they are doing their job correctly.  That does NOT however mean they are not there, and it does not mean that they are not important.

Players in such contests may “work” the refs to try to gain an advantage, but that is implicitly acknowledging that there are rules and referees.  A player who acts like there are no rules, or is not subject to rules,  and that there are no referees, may win every contest in which he competes but he will never achieve certainty.

In elections or other political contests, it might seem like you are competing for dominance. That may be a winning tactic, but it is a losing strategy.  A winning strategy is to compete in accordance with the rules to achieve certainty.  Learn and follow the rules.