The Philosophy of Sustainability: Element 4 - Cooperation

This is Part 4 of a 6-part series wherein elements of a philosophy of sustainability are suggested.

4.                  Cooperation

‘No man is an island, entire of itself;...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’

            Meditation XVII – John Donne

When we cooperate we work with others toward a common goal.  Cooperation helps us to appreciate the contributions of others and to recognize that we are better at some things than others.  With the help of others, shared goals and objectives can be achieved.

One way that we learn to cooperate is through organized sports.  At an early age, many children are taught that winning in sporting events is not important.  They are told that what is important is how the game is played (i.e., if they individually exhibited good sportsmanship and if they cooperated as a team).  Still, in most sporting events score is kept and there are winners and losers.

Many people believe that competition is a good thing because it brings out the best in people.  Competition pushes us to achieve, it challenges us and forces us to dig deep within to achieve things that we might never be capable of otherwise.

Competition as a means to structure and teach the benefits of cooperative efforts is a good thing.  Unfortunately, the competitive, aggressive, militaristic attitude seems to be much more attractive in our culture than the cooperative, passive, and peaceful.  Some would attribute this to genetic programming - others to the prevalence of male leaders.  Perhaps others would attribute it to the underlying capitalistic structure of our economy – one that rewards accumulation and control of resources with little regard for the losers.  Competition that prevents others from obtaining basic needs is a bad thing.

Competition is not needed to bring out our best efforts.  We all experience challenges; often they are imposed by ourselves, not by others.  Challenges also push us to achieve, but do not require that one group win and the other lose.  If one is not up to a challenge, simply doing the best job possible is acceptable until a decision is made to either improve on the situation or go on to the next challenge.

In a cooperative society – everyone is welcome to participate.  All are appreciated for what they contribute.  Everyone’s unique abilities and experiences are valued and built upon.  Everyone is invited to contribute to the dynamic, vibrant, and diverse song of life.

In a competitive society – only those with the skills and attributes deemed valuable to achieving the immediate objective of the group are valued and sought out.  Others are not needed.  Think of the playground team and the kids who are picked last.  They may be grudgingly accepted, but their gifts and talents are not recognized or appreciated.

Our culture has adhered to a philosophy of domination and control.  We have competed against other species and cultures until they have been obliterated.  We need to appreciate that we have emerged from this world and are dependent on its health for our own well being.  We need to learn as a culture how to cooperate not only with other humans, but with the natural environment itself.