The Zero-Sum Illusion: Are Filipinos Wired to Lose?

I watched the steam rise from my coffee, curling and twisting like it was trying to escape something. I don’t usually pay attention to these things, but today, it made me think. The way heat fights to leave the cup, the way the liquid cools over time—it’s always in motion, always shifting. Never static, never hoarding what it has. It doesn’t play a zero-sum game.

It’s strange, isn’t it? The way something as simple as coffee knows how to let go, to share its warmth without resistance—yet we struggle with the idea of giving without losing. We say we value community, generosity, and unity, but look around, and you’ll see a different story.

Filipinos love to talk about bayanihan, about helping one another, about how we are one of the most hospitable people in the world.

But if that’s true, why does it so often feel like we’re fighting each other just to survive?

Why do we celebrate someone’s downfall instead of their success?

Why does winning in this country often mean someone else has to lose?

Where It All Started

Maybe it’s in our history. Before humans built civilizations, survival was a fight for limited resources—food, territory, mates. The world was zero-sum back then. But in today’s society, wealth and opportunities can grow. Yet, we still act like Neanderthals—competing for dominance, clinging to outdated instincts of survival, and tearing each other down instead of working together.

As a nation, we continue these same patterns—fighting over political power, treating economic progress as a competition rather than a shared goal, and seeing success as something to be hoarded rather than multiplied.

Colonization taught us that power was something to be taken, not shared. For centuries, a small elite held wealth and control while the majority struggled. —it was drilled into us, passed down through generations, reinforced by systems that made sure only a few could truly rise.

It’s the same mentality behind crab mentality, the habit of pulling others down when they try to climb up. It’s why, instead of asking how someone succeeded, many Filipinos whisper about how they must have cheated their way there. It’s why every election season feels less like a chance to choose good leaders and more like a brutal fight where the only goal is to defeat the other side.

This is what’s known as zero-sum thinking: the belief that one person’s gain must come at another’s expense, leading to a mindset of constant competition instead of shared growth. It’s deeply embedded in how we approach everything—from politics to career growth to even our own relationships.

But does this thinking really serve us? Or are we just playing a game where no one actually wins?

Where It Shows Up in Everyday Life

• Politics – Elections aren’t about governance, they’re about power struggles. Political opponents don’t just disagree—they destroy each other. And when someone wins? The other side spends years trying to tear them down instead of moving forward together.

• Electorate’s Political Immaturity – Many Filipinos do not vote based on competence or leadership quality, but on personality, name recall, and popularity. Too often, elections become a spectacle rather than a rational process of electing the best leaders. Instead of assessing platforms and governance skills, voters are swayed by catchy slogans, celebrity endorsements, and emotional appeals, keeping unqualified politicians in power.

• Employment & Job Security – Some bosses refuse to train employees too well, fearing they’ll take their skills elsewhere. Instead of developing people, companies hoard knowledge, creating an endless cycle of stagnation.

• Education & Career Paths – Schools rank students against each other. Top graduates fight over the few high-paying jobs available. The job market isn’t about talent—it’s about connections, making the playing field anything but fair.

• OFW Culture – We celebrate overseas Filipino workers as heroes, but what does that say about our system? Instead of creating opportunities here, we treat migration as the only way to survive. And when one family member succeeds abroad, the expectation is often that they must carry the entire household financially—sometimes at the cost of their own well-being.

The Cost of This Thinking

What’s the result? Studies show that people with strong zero-sum beliefs tend to be more anxious and distrustful (Blavatnik School of Government). They see others’ success as a threat rather than an opportunity to learn or collaborate.

This explains why Filipinos often suspect successful individuals of cheating, rather than admiring their hard work.

A country where progress is slow, where trust is low, where many of our best minds leave because they see no future here. A place where people believe that if they don’t take what they can now, they may never get another chance.

It tells us that for one person to win, another must lose.

But that’s not how progress works.

The world isn’t built on one person beating another—it thrives on cooperation, on people lifting each other up.

What If We Stopped Playing This Game?

We’ve seen glimpses of what’s possible when we reject zero-sum thinking. Community efforts during typhoons, neighborhood sari-sari stores supporting each other instead of competing, local businesses thriving because they collaborate rather than undercutting each other.

Other countries have built their economies on this kind of cooperation. Japan, for example, didn’t become an economic powerhouse by tearing each other down—it was discipline, unity, and shared progress that got them there. Singapore, despite its size, became a global leader by investing in its people, not just a select few.

So why can’t we do the same?

Singapore wasn’t always rich—it focused on education and discipline, proving that success isn’t a limited pie. Lee Kuan Yew once said, "I do not believe that democracy necessarily leads to development. I believe that what a country needs to develop is discipline more than democracy."

While his views may be controversial, Singapore’s transformation from a struggling nation to an economic powerhouse is proof of what focused governance and collective discipline can achieve.

South Korea invested in digital and economic cooperation, transforming itself from a war-torn nation into a global economic powerhouse. Their focus on innovation, education, and strategic partnerships allowed them to break free from poverty and create sustainable progress. Prioritizing collective growth over cutthroat competition, they proved that a country doesn’t have to play a zero-sum game to succeed.

The Philippines is rich in talent and resources, but without a shift in mindset, those strengths will never translate into real progress. If we’re stuck fighting over scraps instead of building, we’ll never move forward.

The Choice We Have to Make

It’s easy to say that Filipinos are wired to lose. After all, history has shaped our habits—centuries of colonization, political betrayals, and economic struggles have conditioned us to believe that for one to rise, another must fall.

I am reminded of what my friend, a priest, once told me—'We are born to die, but what we do in between defines who we are and what we leave behind.'

Wiring isn’t destiny.

We are not doomed to repeat the same mistakes forever.

We see proof of this in Filipinos who thrive abroad, in communities that work together despite the odds, and in leaders—though rare—who prioritize nation-building over personal gain.

So the question isn’t whether we are wired to lose—it’s whether we’re willing to break free from the thinking that holds us back. The choice to rise—or to remain stuck—is ours.

We’ve spent centuries believing that for someone to succeed, another must suffer. But maybe we don’t have to keep playing by those rules.

What if success wasn’t about taking but about creating? What if wealth wasn’t about hoarding but about expanding? What if power wasn’t about control but about collaboration?

History has already shown us what happens when we cling to the zero-sum mindset. Maybe it’s time to stop repeating the same mistakes.

I sip my coffee. It’s cooler now, the steam barely visible. It let go of its heat without a fight. And yet, it’s still coffee. Still good.

Maybe we could learn something from that.

A Call to Action: The Election is Upon Us

We have an opportunity to change things around. In a few weeks, we will once again choose our leaders. For the first time in a long time, our options include qualified candidates—individuals who have the capacity, the integrity, and the vision to lead us forward. Let’s choose well. Let’s vote not out of spite or loyalty to a name, but because we understand that the Philippines is hanging on the edge of a cliff.

Only we can save ourselves.