I hate competition in the world of guitarists.

[R_of_G]

Competition does not have to be a bad thing. You can compete without having to be an a-hole. Iron sharpens iron, after all. Often seeing a very talented guitarist or bassist play spurs me on to want to be better myself. The goal is not so that one day I can say, "[Fill in the guitarist's name here] sucks! Look how much better I am!" Rather it is that other person driving/encouraging/motivating me to greater heights.

No doubt that's healthy, but is it competition, particularly when the other player isn't even aware of the effect they've had on you?

I'd contend that's inspiration and then using that inspiration to challenge yourself.

It's pretty strong in our American culture to compete and it's continually being nurtured by game companies, sports, and largely the media. Listen carefully to the words they use. Many descriptions of events, interactions and communications between people are often described in competitive terms even if there is no competition.

The language of our culture is full of misused superlatives and military metaphors.