Timothy Wilken
The human condition of INTERdependence means all humans need help. This is important enough that it can not be said too often. All humans need help unless they wish to live at the level of animal subsistence. INTERdependence means sometimes I depend on others and sometimes others depend on me.
Sometimes self is a giver of help. Sometimes self is a receiver of help. Sometimes other is a giver of help. Sometimes other is a receiver of help.
Sometimes my actions help others meet their needs. Sometimes other’s actions help me meet my needs.
Receivers-Givers—partners in survival
Needs are continuously pulling on me take action to meet them. But I only occasionally act to meet my needs. Remember, I need a constant level of oxygen dissolved in my blood, but I only take a breath fourteen to sixteen a minute. I need a continuous supply of water within by cellar environment, but I only drink water a few times a day. And, while my brain requires a constant level of dissolved glucose to feed it blood sugar, but I only eat two or three times a day. My actions are discontinuous. Discontinuous means I have some control over when I act to meet my needs. I can eat now or a few hours from now. Life can be described then as the process of continuous needs being met by discontinuous actions.
Now individual humans as INTERdependent life forms are not able to meet all their needs with only their own action. They need the occasional actions of others to meet their continuous needs. Stated explicitly: Within the relationship between self and other, the receiver has continuous needs, but the giver only occasionally acts to help the receiver.
Remember, a system of continuous pull balanced against discontinuous push is called a tension integrity or tensegrity in synergic science. In an INTERdependent life form the receivers of help are continuously needing help while the givers of help are only occasionally giving it. Life and living then is all about the continuing pull of our needs and the discontinuous push of the actions taken to meet those needs. Some of the actions are our own, but most of the actions are the gifts of others.
As a synergic help exchange—the Gift Tensegrity will be radically different from both the adversary help exchange—the Coercion Tensegrity and the neutral help exchange—the Product Tensegrity.
Recall the natural Needs-Action Tensegrity of Life. Needs are continuously pulling on me take action to meet them.
| Needs | Actions |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
In an INTERdependent form of life, individual organisms are not able to meet there needs with out help from others. They need the occasional actions of others to meet their continuous needs. This leads to the emergence of receivers of help which are continuously needing help and givers of help are only occasionally acting to give that help. For human beings, life and survival then is all about the continuing pull of our needs and the discontinuous push of the actions taken to meet those needs. Some of the actions are our own, but most of the actions are the gifts of others.
| Needs | Actions |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| Receivers of Help | Givers of Help |
Again, recall the alternating roles of self and other. Sometimes self is a giver of help. Sometimes self is a receiver of help. Sometimes other is a giver of help. Sometimes other is a receiver of help.
One of the primary differences will be how the roles of giver of help and receiver of help change in the new synergic help tensegrity. Active control shifts away from the predators and buyers (receivers of help) to active control by the giftors (givers of help). Now let us compare the three tensegrities with the natural pattern,
A Comparison
We see that within the Coercion Tensegrity Actions and Needs have switched places as have the givers of help and receivers of help. The Prey is coerced to give help in the form of their actions to meet the needs of the Predators. The predators are in control.
| Prey | Predator |
| *Actions | *Needs |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| *Givers of Help | *Receivers of Help |
| Needs | Actions |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| Receivers of Help | Givers of Help |
We see that within the Product Tensegrity Actions and Needs have switched places as have the givers of help and receivers of help. The Sellers are paid to give help in the form of their actions to meet the needs of the Buyers. The buyers are in control.
| Seller | Buyer |
| *Actions | *Needs |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| *Givers of Help | *Receivers of Help |
| Needs | Actions |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| Receivers of Help | Givers of Help |
We see that within the Gift Tensegrity, the natural pattern has returned. The receivers of help are passive. They are continuously available to receive the gift of help. The givers of help are active. They discontinuously give help when and to whom, they choose. The Giftors are trusted to give help in the form or their actions to meet the needs of the Recipients. The giftors are in control.
| Giftee | Giftor |
| Needs | Actions |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| Receivers of Help | Givers of Help |
| Needs | Actions |
| Continuous-Pull | Discontinuous-Push |
| Passive | Active |
| Receivers of Help | Givers of Help |