The Law of the Jungle…

                    Now this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky; And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die. 

           As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk the Law runneth forward and back — For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.

I don’t think you need to look any further than the first few lines of Rudyard Kipling’s, The Law of the Jungle, to find a pretty good argument for cooperation, personal growth, and interdependence.

If you’ve found the right pack, it’s all you need to succeed, and not merely survive. 

The problem is just about everything is pointing in the opposite direction toward rugged individualism, autonomy, and self-sufficiency as the model for success. All of which can lead to isolation and alienation. Distrust and an innate fear of the other.

It ignores a simple truth. That true interdependence requires the participation and involvement of fully developed human beings. Individuals who are willing to contribute whatever is needed — whatever they have — to the greater good. A realization that the pack is made better and stronger when everyone recognizes the importance of cooperation, consensus, and conciliation.

The same can be said for the individual made stronger by the security and contribution of the group. Be that a family, an organization, or the entire culture. The security and infrastructure of the pack can allow for the freedom to learn and grow.

Mutually Beneficial…

The strength of the pack and the growth of the individual wolf are not mutually exclusive. They are mutually beneficial. In fact, that’s what mutually beneficial is all about. That’s why identifying with — and participating in — communities of all kinds and sizes is so critically important. As important as the physical, emotional, and intellectual growth of each individual wolf.

Our communities get better when every member has the freedom and opportunity to become the best they can be. When every wolf has a chance to become a Good Wolf…