It is human desire to share. It is also human desire to compete. The two — cooperation and competition — bleed into each other to test human resolve.
One excels in their particular field to consume another’s comparative advantage. As soon as those walls close down, trouble is lit. Every man for himself, absolute freedom, begets pure paralyzing chaos.
So we invent realities, make laws and pacts, and develop a socio-economic hierarchy. We drink the liquid of tacit agreement, a mere human perception.
The fear of breaking the bond threatens the tissues that hold everything together. On the whole, we prefer to bathe in a murmuration of order rather than concede to germs. What the hell is going on?
As products of our environment, we seek spiritual completeness. We need inner peace to focus on what matters to us: our families, work, hobbies, etc.
Of course, life is not linear. Relapses, and dips, are expected. Some exposure to vulnerability keeps things alive. Yet, some spend their whole lives trying to master the self, breakable at a moment’s notice.
The paradox of stress is long-term durability. Constrictions stretch our zones of comfort. Power concentrates around the individual but dedicates itself to the mirror of others.
Despite our differences and quirks, working together is a form of art.