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Just because you can do something does not mean that it has to be done, or even should be done.
As humans, we spend a lot of time mucking with the way things are. It seems to be our sworn duty to change the way the world works. People see it as an improvement, when, often, it is nothing of the kind. As nature’s ultimate busybodies, we cannot leave well enough alone.
But there is another dimension to this as well. Inaction. In my previous journal entry in this series, I pontificated about the people who hide behinds compassion as an excuse to never let anyone face the hard times. This does not mean, though, that we should always abandon others to the wolves and the weather – Only that we should be judicious in what we do all the time.
Helping others out is not bad. Defending your friends is not bad. But helping others out to the extent that they become dependant on you for their welfare or defense is a very scary place to be.
Don’t get me wrong – Mankind is a social animal. We need other people for our health, and no one should be an island. (As an extroverted personality, I know that really well.) But there is a big difference between having a lot of social interactions and being codependent and needy.
But this does not absolve us of the fact that we each need to be able to survive on our own as well as within a pack group. I find it interesting that the two most common house pets are Dogs and Cats – the social animal and the independent solo hunter. People tend to break out into the two categories. And often, the two types don’t interact really well.
The key is to strike a balance between Independence and Interdependence. Yes, Interdependence, a word meaning that there is an interaction between the different parties where each party brings something of value to the whole, as opposed to that leech-like state known as dependence, where one party hangs, remora-like, on the rest of the parties in the group.
We need to find synergy in a group where our weaknesses fit others’ strengths, and vice-versa. Even Spiky Pagans need friends too.
As humans, we spend a lot of time mucking with the way things are. It seems to be our sworn duty to change the way the world works. People see it as an improvement, when, often, it is nothing of the kind. As nature’s ultimate busybodies, we cannot leave well enough alone.
But there is another dimension to this as well. Inaction. In my previous journal entry in this series, I pontificated about the people who hide behinds compassion as an excuse to never let anyone face the hard times. This does not mean, though, that we should always abandon others to the wolves and the weather – Only that we should be judicious in what we do all the time.
Helping others out is not bad. Defending your friends is not bad. But helping others out to the extent that they become dependant on you for their welfare or defense is a very scary place to be.
Don’t get me wrong – Mankind is a social animal. We need other people for our health, and no one should be an island. (As an extroverted personality, I know that really well.) But there is a big difference between having a lot of social interactions and being codependent and needy.
But this does not absolve us of the fact that we each need to be able to survive on our own as well as within a pack group. I find it interesting that the two most common house pets are Dogs and Cats – the social animal and the independent solo hunter. People tend to break out into the two categories. And often, the two types don’t interact really well.
The key is to strike a balance between Independence and Interdependence. Yes, Interdependence, a word meaning that there is an interaction between the different parties where each party brings something of value to the whole, as opposed to that leech-like state known as dependence, where one party hangs, remora-like, on the rest of the parties in the group.
We need to find synergy in a group where our weaknesses fit others’ strengths, and vice-versa. Even Spiky Pagans need friends too.
