Cooperation is when people work together, support each other. Perhaps it is for a common goal, perhaps it is to support one person with something they want to achieve, perhaps it is for some uncertain result. If you think about our world, your world, my world everything we do in some way shape or form needs cooperation.

What you say, everything🧐 Yes everything. There are definitely different levels and intensities of cooperation. Yet all we do somewhere, somehow required a level of cooperation.

Cooperation is a pretty big deal in this world. Let me give you an example. Right now you are sitting somewhere reading this on your computer, smartphone, tablet. People and machines created, configured, and made the electronic device you are reading this on. Cooperation. You bought your electronic device online or in person. There was a cooperative process to purchase your electronic device. Cooperation. Where you are sitting was made by people, machines, tools, cooperation.

We are truly interdependent on one another. We need each other to survive, thrive, evolve, and grow. Our lives reflect a Jenga game. You never know which piece when removed will make all the other blocks tumble and fall. Yet despite our need for each other, rates of loneliness have been increasing at alarming rates. An article by Earth.com reported that loneliness has  doubled over that past 50 years.  The article reports that “A new study by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has found that loneliness is even more prevalent than expected and is affecting part of the population that was not considered to be at risk”.

Perhaps you are wondering why I am talking about loneliness in an article about cooperation. Because in the good old USA the rates of mental health problems are on the rise. In the United States, almost half of adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental illness during their lifetime according an article in Mental Health First Aid, February 6, 2109.

We are building more walls between us, arguing about who is right, and highlighting the differences between us in a negative way. Too often we do not view our living as a cooperative event. We view it as a competitive event, which can divides and destroy. They are the ones with the problems, not us. Who is the they?

Life is cooperative. No matter who you are or what you do we all are relying on each other for something. All of us.

Halford E. Luccock said “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes a whole orchestra to play it”.

The beauty of that quote is that each individual gets to be whomever they want to be in the orchestra. Their talents, skills, intelligence, kindness and personality will be present. When each person brings their best, it only improves the symphony. It does not diminish.When we bring out the best in others we bring out the best in ourselves.

My challenge to each and every one of you is to take a moment and do a me check. A me check is when you take stock of who you are and how you are living your life. Are you the person you want to be? Are you being kind, compassionate, and caring towards yourself? Do you build yourself up or bring yourself down? Does the spirit of cooperation live in the way you live your life?

The manner in which you are living your life will be reflected in how you interact and treat all those around you. If you are struggling emotionally ask for help! Talk to a trusted family member, friend, go seek professional help. You are so very worth it. You matter💜

If you are concerned about a people in your life you care about trust your gut. Check in on them, connect with them, show care for them.

I believe with every fiber of my being we are all needed in this world. We all are needed in the orchestra. We need people who clean and prepared for the symphony, people  who made the instruments, wrote the music, sold the tickets, made the tickets, trained the person how to play and more. We need everybody doing everything.

Image if we all lived our lives with the spirit of cooperation. That we all have something to bring to the orchestra and something to be gained from the orchestra. It is never to late to change and change is always possible.

May the cooperation be with you🎹🥁🎷🎺🎸🎻🎼