Monday, September 14, 2009

Thoughts on Cooperation and Teamwork

I just received an email from a member of the online Baha'i writers group to which I belong. That email contained some thought provoking words from Abdu'l-Baha. Here is the quote from that email-- a quote that really got me thinking:

"Through solidarity. In some animals mutual co-operation is frequently seen;when in time of danger, each will try to surpass the others in help. One dayas I was standing near the border of a little stream on Mt. Carmel, Inoticed a number of locusts that had not yet developed full wings."These insects wishing to pass from my side of the stream to the other inorder to procure some food, threw themselves forward, each one trying toemulate the other in flinging itself into the water, so that a bridge wasformed in order that the others might pass over and this was accomplished; yet those who gave themselves as a bridge finally perished.Consider how much solidarity makes for life as compared to the fighting forself interest which destroys it." (Abdu'l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 187)


I am not suggesting that each of us has to sacrifice some of our time on this earth in order to contribute to the betterment of society. Still, the above quote implies that each person should be willing to offer up at least a small sacrifice.

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