Is it necessary to compete?

The following text is an account of what I felt during DTP class on March 24, 2010.
Just now, I received a mesaage about a quiz in MM and like a fish gasping for breathe outside water, I started studying MM by opening its TAU and the book without even caring a bit for the professor who was teaching at that time and more importantly, without even caring for myself whether I am doing the right thing or not. I am doing all this as I want to get good gradest to satisfy my parents, my girlfriend, this cruel society and above all to satisfy myself. I don't have the courage to confront all the actors listed above and the last one is most difficult to fight with.
I know what will happen tomorrow; I'll be studying for some other quiz in some other subject's class and I'll lose both of them. I've been doing all this from June 2009; no not June 2009, I've been doing this since I first went to school.
I wonder that why there is so much of competition or cut-throat competition(to be precise) ? What am I trying to achieve through this competition? Why can't I spend my life like an average human being? Is it necessary for a person to achieve something great?
But I am not able to find answers to these questions as I am not free from this evil called "Competition" but I will try to find out in the course of life.
DTP- Development Theory and Practices
MM- Marketing Management