Living: the ultimate team sport

Stronger Together

Posted on March 23, 2026 Updated on March 23, 2026

Whether you follow the “It takes a village” concept – or simply believe that our lives can be positively enhanced by others – you most likely believe, as I do, that two is better than one; three is better than two; four is better than three . .  .

Mind you, I am perfectly capable of accomplishing many things for which I require very little – if any – assistance. But when I attempt to do something that may benefit from others’ participation, I’m open to it.

Ariel and Shya Kane, authors of several books, including Practical Enlightenment have the following to say about not going it alone. I quote verbatim from their chapter “You Can’t Do it Alone”:

Independence and freedom are the background upon which many of our lives are played. So we may not be making use of our support system of friends around us because we’re locked into an unexamined need to prove we can do it alone . . .

Having someone to talk to, to share ideas with, to support you in going for excellence and not quitting on yourself is a rare gift. When you are feeling down and it all seems too hard to continue, those are the moments that a community can support you in rediscovering well-being. It’s easy to get discouraged. Life is full of disappointments, but when you realize you’re not traveling that road alone, you can keep going.

The simple point I want to make today, however, is that I believe we need to make a concerted effort to pull away from the Me, Myself, and I paradigm and adopt an Us outlook. Doing so opens up so many healthy possibilities:

• we’ll be more aware of the needs around us;
• conversely, we’ll be more inclined to accept help when offered;
• we’ll be giving others – friends and strangers – an opportunity to exercise their strengths in the midst of our weaknesses;
• we’ll build community where previously none existed;
• we’ll release positive energy into our little portion of the universe, rather than infect that same space with selfishness, hatred, and bitterness.

It’s virtually impossible to be a violent person – in actions or in words – if we’re practicing what is listed in the above bullet points. If we truly live our lives outwardly, we’ll create a binding strength that will make us stronger as individuals, while also creating an indestructible civilization that can stand up against anything that gets thrown in its path. I certainly can’t say the same for the Me, Myself, and I method of existence.

No. I alone can not do it. No one can.

The sooner we realize that fact, the better off we’ll all be.