As we drove along the coast road round False Bay towards Muizenberg in the Western Cape I saw several groups of fishermen standing in lines, pulling on ropes, looking for all the world like teams in a tug-of-war contest. However, this was no competition. There were no opposition teams pulling in the opposite direction.
They were pulling in their nets to harvest what they had caught together.
I know that competition is a fact of life. I know we’ve made competition the foundation of our society. It’s what we built capitalism on.
However, I’m convinced that’s been a mistake. A human baby couldn’t survive without all the people who care for him or her, right from day one, and for the rest of their life.
We are intensely social creatures. Our super power isn’t so much competition, it’s cooperation and collaboration.
The “self made man” is a myth. And “homo economicus” is a delusional mistake created by neoliberal fanatics.
We all “stand on the shoulders of giants”. None of us parachuted into this life unconnected to ancestors, family and biosphere.
If we could change our focus and our priorities towards relationships, to how we influence others, and how others influence us, we’d create a different way of living on this planet – especially if we extended our understanding of “the other” to those of other communities, traditions and beliefs, to our non-human neighbours, the animals, plants and all other forms of life.
Isn’t it time for all of us to shift from “me” to “we”? To explore, grow and nurture our connections. For our own sakes, for our children, and for Life on Earth.
Heroes Not Zombies 