Today's we have a guest post from Jacqui Patterson. She has taken a strong interest in Domino Theory, and has recently joined Toplers.com as the Community Manager. I know you will enjoy her thoughts on interconnectedness, the natural law that supports domino theory. If you would like to write a guest post, just let us know!
- Herb
-------------------------------
Way off in the southernmost region of the Marinian islands lies the island of Guam. The people of Guam, better known as the Chamorros, hold a strong believe in compassion as a means of strengthening the community. So, If I were to describe the Chamorro people in one word, it would have to be Inafa'maolek. Just in case you don't have your Malayo-Polynesian dictionary handy, Inafa'maolek is the word for interdependence. The concepts behind the word are that of social interaction, sharing, and helping one another without individualistic greed.
The Chamorro people have been able to maintain a strong community clear into the 21st century based off of their interdependent lifestyles. The community flourishes because of the kindness that everyone upholds for one another; respect is the fundamental component at their social core.
Sure, it's easy to say that the community is successful in helping one another because it is a island of people and not a vast continent of individuals. Or, the social impact is greater because they are such a small nation; they are able to communicate more easily. Does interdependence only work at this social level? As a larger nation, and a super power in the world, we should all be asking ourselves how we can make this type of community bond work in a larger population. So what is holding us back?
It seems as though interdependent societies see the larger picture: kindness is the bond that keeps the community together. With compassion as the backbone you can't go wrong.
Isn't it time that independence is met with a notion of interdependence?
