TOGETHERNESS

Togetherness

Alone I can't change the world
Alone I can't find my way
Alone I can't be remembered
Alone I can't build an empire
Alone I can't be admired
Alone I can't end hunger
Alone I can't be the best man I can be
But together we can.

-Kholekile Monakal

The present article borrows the last words of the poem, “together we can”; and explores the importance of togetherness in the various events and learning of our lives. We would also try and isolate a few important things that may help us fare well when we work together.

Presentations! This exercise of our college is the best way to learn the importance of togetherness. Some of the readers already know that, while what you do individually is important but it is also important that the whole group works well. Often it seems difficult to find right coordination in the beginning when so many strangers are put to work on a common goal. Gradually as the time passes those strangers become friends and that is the time when the goal of the exercise is nearly served! Someone does the editing of all the slides, some searches for matter, some formats the slides, some arranges for speakers, some keeps the time of the whole presentation and some tries to think of intelligent answers to possible questions, when all the things work in this synchronized manner the learning and the quality of the presentations are at their sublime. (Best)

Working together would be perhaps all the more important when we finish our education and enter a job or business or any other work for that matter. The very basis of modern day business lies in the division of labour. And ability to work in a team comprising different people is a precondition to the successful division of labour.

Tempted to take the idea of “togetherness” a step higher, I would like to ask you a question. Do you think that any large scale movement, such as our freedom struggle or end of Apartheid or movements to reduce carbon footprints can ever be a success if millions of people were not to be together?

Same way the problems of the present time like terrorism, global warming, economic recession and dire disparity in distribution of resources will also not end unless we all come together to address them.

In all of the above examples the common thing is that people have united or will hopefully unite to achieve an objective. Unity may not always be easy to attain, but I am sure that effort to attain some of the following things will help us stay together on many important missions in time to come.

o Courage and compassion to support others

o Ability to sacrifice personal interest toward the general interest

o Understanding of the bigger picture

o Tolerance towards different opinions

o Commitment to the objective

Just as there are many problems in the world, there are many possible solutions as well. However in all those possible solutions we need to put the integrated effort. Clearly, in future the ability to work together will determine the quality of our lives. I am committed take the quality of our lives on a higher plain. Are you?