I am properly defined as a being-with-others-in-the-world. Indeed, it takes a village to raise a child. The poet John Donne famously wrote,
No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
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.
Our interconnectedness reveals our intimate interdependence. We need one another. It is sad that where we should work for inclusions and trust, we often lapse into exclusions and suspicions. I look at the world and I see people wishing others were dead or not here at all. Yet, when I look at the achievements of humanity, our best accomplishments were realized when we worked together in harmony.
Synergy happens whenever people work together. Communities thrive when they work in harmony. We achieve more and better results when working together rather than working by our lonesome. God blesses our work when we do it with others and for others. Nothing can be more reassuring than to know that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is right there in our midst.
The glory of the Lord is higher than the skies.
Psalm 113
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Again, amen, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth
about anything for which they are to pray,
it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:19-20