RELATIONSHIP: Our State of In(ter)dependence
The future is co-operative.
Before putting together this issue I’d read about and heard about the concept of mass collaboration as a “new trend”: some kind of new innovative force for rethinking and relearning how to live our lives.
So, in keeping with our raison d’être, I thought it would be fun to put a FU spin on this concept of collaboration, exploring how entities work together and affect each other (or not). When introducing the theme of relationship to the team, I emphasized that we could go broad – covering the many correlations between current affairs and cultural shifts happening in the world today, that will eventually have an impact on our future. I was super excited when idea germs and thought-starters came pouring in… but every single one had humans as one side of a two-part equation. At first I thought this was for lack of stretchy thinking. Then I began editing and with each article, a bigger picture came into focus.
As anticipated, people have written about the various forces that create good and bad scenarios around us – but the bigger picture is that ultimately, our survival of these forces in order to have any future at all, depends on our ability to become WE.
As individuals we strive to figure out who we are so that others will understand and join us – as lovers, as neighbors, as colleagues and as fellow citizens. And interestingly, the causes considered most important to address together, are creative as well as pragmatic. The magnum opus typically associated with individual mastery, is now frequently credited to teamwork. The personal achievements we say we are most proud of, would be impossible without allies. And the concept of giving to receive (as a new take on doing unto others) is an unlikely mantra even the most self-sufficient urbanites, are now willing to consider.
However, this is not to say that our egos have been completely checked at the door to tomorrow’s party. Independence, the flip-side of this issue’s theme, is also vital to getting the future made right. Objective and autonomous thought keeps us curious, helps us to rationalize and reserves our seat at the top of the food chain. It’s also why the underlying message associated with all relationships is that they’re hard work! Whether with partners in crime, fictional characters, media messages, material goods or even our own needs and desires – appreciating other points of view and acting for the greater good are rarely our first instincts.
I myself have numerous ideological blind-spots so admittedly, it took a while for all this to become clear. But when it did, I realized that analyzing how we interact with the constructs of our environment, to create identities, families, communities and societies – as we have here - is a great lens through which to view what the future may hold. An additional boon: I can now hear the word “relationship” in the same sentence as “future” without the ringing accompaniment of alarm bells.
by Onika Simon
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Hiya Nikks, as usual this blog is inspiring and thought-provoking.
PS Tamar is a chicken in the ballet performance tomorrow. Ill tell her you wish her luck.
Keep up the good work Love ALWAYS A.Deb XXX