Co-operation is the act of working together towards a common
goal. It is a feature not only of human life, but also of the animal and insect
world. When we examine an anthill, for example, we notice that the different
kinds of ants have different functions and work together to serve the queen-ant,
just as bees co-operate to serve the queen-bee. Birds unconsciously co-operate
with each other, and they can be taught to co-operate with humans for many
purposes. Wolves and jackals hunt in packs, and dogs can be trained to control
sheep and to act as guards, as well as perform tricks on stage or at the circus.
The co-operation of farm animals like horses is essential to primitive
agriculture.
But the value of co-operation is most evident in the sphere of human relations,
as almost every aspect of man's life is dependent upon it. In any team game, all
the players depend on one another, and in a game of football, for example, the
forwards cannot score goals unless their wings and halves feed them passes. The
'team spirit' is valuable in many human activities, and is perhaps most marked
in family life, in which every member should be prepared to receive help from
and give it to the others. Unless parents co-operate with their children, a good
upbringing and opportunities for higher education leading to good jobs would be
non-existent. Unless children co-operate with their parents, many of the latter
in their old age would suffer from poverty and neglect. All members of a family
must co-operate to preserve the good reputation of their family by avoiding
actions that would bring disgrace upon it.
Even small things like signs that read 'Keep off the grass' or 'Do not throw
litter' in our parks and public places invite the co-operation of the general
public in maintaining the beauty of our cities and the countryside. It is
unfortunate that they are so often ignored. More importantly, co-operation is
needed between motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians to keep injuries and
fatalities off the roads. There is a clear highway code that, if observed by
everyone, would virtually eliminate traffic accidents. However, the mounting
toll exacted by the roads in nearly every country is ample testimony to the need
for much greater co-operation in this sphere of living.
This somber need suggests another crucially important example of co-operation,
that which is required between a doctor and their patient. It is quite useless
for a sick person to expect a doctor to cure them unless they obey instructions
regarding treatment and actively try to help themselves get better. Doctors can
do nothing for patients who refuse to co-operate, just as teachers can do
nothing for students who are too lazy to learn or refuse to do so. However good
the teacher is, it is the student who has to pass the examination. However
skilled the surgeon, they will fail if the theater-sister does not hand them the
right instrument at the right moment, or if the nurse has failed to sterilize
them beforehand.
Co-operation is not only a feature of agricultural methods but also applies to
agricultural organization. 'Co-operatives' exist where land is held communally,
and all resources of machinery and manual labor are pooled. It is a matter of
argument whether this is a fairer means than that of private enterprise for
distributing the rewards of labor, but it often makes for efficiency in
countries where vast tracts of land are given over to the production of cereals. |