I think there are 2 types of people in the world. The first type thinks that life is about survival. The second type thinks that survival is a given, and therefore life is about finding and being oneself.
I call the first type the Fighter. These people fight to win, fight to be the first, fight to be the biggest and strongest. They take pride for being the richest, the most generous, the least sick, the best looking. They believe that the world is a place full of traps and competitors, and the only way to enjoy life and be comfortable is to control, to organize, and be "ahead of the game".
I call the second type the Seeker. These people believes that there are ways of life, places and environments that offers the most comfort for each unique individual. Therefore they are generally willing to "drop everything and move on" - once they are convinced that their current work, their existing place, or their existing society are no longer for them. They tend to ask "why am I here and what's the point?".
Let me clarify that neither type has the monopoly of material wealth. There are enough examples of wealthy individuals that belong to either types. The two types also do not signify any correlation with intelligence, talent, energy or work ethics. A Fighter can work as fast, as hard and as smart as a Seeker. A Seeker can be as competitive as the Fighter. The fundamental difference is the source of their motivation and inspiration.
Lets compare two famous individuals to illustrate my point. I will pick Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, an excellent pair coming from the same field of work.
Bill created Microsoft from scratch in the 1970s until it became a global empire today. There is no doubt that this company reflects his personality, at least during his time of reign. After the first decade and two when it monopolized the Personal Computer market, it began to receive noticable attacks by the younger companies. Microsoft reaction to the arrival of new bloods is in a form of fierce defense and counter attacks, to protect their status as the biggest, the strongest software company. At its core, it believes in the survival of the fittest. Innovation is secondary, replaced by aggressive financial fights, acquisition, legal fights against competitors. Bill Gates is a good example of a Fighter.
Steve Jobs is famous for his cunning ability to create products that breaks new ground. He was a great innovator who challenges the "can't be done" mentality. No doubt that he is a man with big competitive drive, but he spent his energy seeking for something new instead of defending. He jumped from being a maker of PCs to music player to mobile phone to tablet computing with ease, while others seemed to be stuck on a single product. He may have hired a group of fighters to help him organize and control as things grew, but growth and dominance alone did not seem to be his main motivation. Because of that, Apple has continue to bring innovation instead of acquisition.
Has Bill Gates changed from being a Fighter to a Seeker, now that he has left Microsoft and created the largest philanthropy organization in the world? I don't think so. But perhaps it is better that he uses his Fighter mindset for something more philanthropic than profit driven.
Will Steve Jobs turn into a Fighter and begin to play defensive games against his competitors? I am betting that he won't, or at least he won't be good at it. A true Seeker would continue the journey to express one self instead of trying to defend a legacy.
We can find examples in different walk of lives. Musicians like John Lennon and Michael Jackson are good examples of the Seekers. Michael Jordan and Pete Sampras come across as Fighters while Andre Agassi would be a Seeker. Ronald Reagan maybe a Seeker while his VP, George H.W. Bush was clearly a Fighter.
Despite my bias in favor for the Seekers, I would admit that the coexistence of these two characters is there for a reason. The Seekers likely bring more creativity, introspection and innovation to the world, while the Fighters would create systems and processes to organize and control. I think the world with too much fighters influence will become a hostile, cold and abusive place. A world with too much seekers influence will be chaotic and unpredictably volatile.
Having said that, I think our world at present is out of balance - and as a result of that, we are seeing many escalating abuses of power, irresponsible exploitation of resources while at the same time diminishing creativity. The world desperately need new influential seekers, to restore the balance and make the world a more peaceful, introspective and creative place to live.
