Timothy Wilken, MD
writes: Abraham, Buddha, Confucius, and Jesus understood the underlying
connectedness of all humanity. Their admonitions to us contain high
awareness of our human INTERdependence. This is why they taught us not
to kill, not to steal, not to molest, not to fraud, not to coerce. They
understood that the conflict of Adversity was not for humankind. They
understood that the indifference of Neutrality was not for humankind.
They understood that humans were meant to be Synergists. So, they
taught us to be our brother’s keeper. … When a task is larger than
the abilities of a single individual it requires co-Operation. If you
want to lift a thousand pound sofa you will need help. Two individuals
working together can accomplish more than one individual working alone.
One thousand individuals working together can accomplish much more than
any individual working alone. Interdependent systems are much more
powerful than independent systems. Humans are the most complex form of
life in known universe, and we spin a web of complex relationships to
meet our needs and wants. They allow for division of labor. It is by
dividing labor, and becoming specialized, that we humans are able to
increase our standard of living almost without limit. If each of us had
to provide all our own needs and wants, we would have to be the jack of
all trades, and the master of none. We humans joined together to gain
the advantage of the division of labor. When we divide labor, each
individual can become master of one trade. The individual can then
produce a single product much more efficiently then he could produce
hundreds of different products. We humans have created complex webs of
interdependence based on our division of labor. Division of labor can
be quite simple, as when the husband agrees to carry out the trash,
while his wife cooks supper. Or it can be very complex, as in a large
company, where the tasks are divided among hundreds of thousands of
employees. For humanity, our choice was simple. Become interdependent
or retain the quality of life of the plants and animals. Our mothers
and fathers, our grandmothers and grandfathers, our great grandmothers
and great grandfathers—they have already made the choice for us. (03/25/05)
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