Sins of the fathers...

How long does it take to change a person?

People are downright selfish! Individuals that think about nothing but themselves. Group work will never succeed, because every freakin individual out there is in the group for a personal reason, and I can bet you, this reason cannot be found in the Group's agenda. No matter how hard we can try to work in a group, whether in college, or at work, it's our asses that's on the line. It all boils down to the fact that when shit happens, people don't get punished as a group, they get punished as individuals. If, during group work in college or at work, lecturers/bosses continue to do such a thing, then there will never be teamwork.

Then, there's the 18-odd years of neglected education from the family, whereby, kids have been brought up in front of the idiot box. In this age of modernism and post-modernism, most of the bright young minds of today are brought up by the trusted nanny a.k.a. The Tele. And most programmes of the days yonder were imported straight from the Country That Promotes the Celebration of the Individual. We were brought up in the land of Heroes, where it is always ONE man making the difference. It is always a vigilante making the difference, and it's always the Hero that gets the reward (Girl).

This has inevitably influenced our minds and made us think like an individual. If nobody's gonna do it, then I might as well take it upon myself to do it. That is actually a very wrong mindset. We, humans, are communal. That's why we interact. That's why we have an issecent need to meet with friends. But yet, this has been misconstrued by our own individualism. Thus, we only delegate stuff when it is out of our capabilities or we have no time to do such a thing. This means, the individual is the focal point again! I will delegate whatever I cannot bring Myself to do. These people would rather focus thier energy into finishing up thier jobs instead of using the time and energy to get the group to work together, which is all in the name of efficiency of course. But imagine if everyone knows what it means to be in a team, and not worry about covering their asses only, then prep talks will not be necessary, team building will be a thing of the past, and everyone will know that in order for them to succeed as a group, individual wants and needs must be put down.

This mentality has crept into the institution of marriage. Couples are now finding it more and more difficult to live with one another because both of them subscribe to the same mentality; Individualism. I get married with the partner that will give me the best benefits. People get married nowadays so that they can obtain some kind of benefit from their partner. That's why people get into divorce. It's because both parties are individuals trying to live out a communal life. And things don't work that way. If you are a square, you can't be living your life as a circle.

I've always told people that when we are a group, we need to learn how to give, support, and contribute. If everyone only knows how to look out for thier own asses, then nobody will give. And when nobody gives, then nobody receives. But if everyone in the group contributes to the greater good, then everyone will receive. Because when someone gives, there must be someone who receives and when everyone gives, everyone will indeed receive.

Profound, but true...