Cooperation

    Life as a musician consists of many dualities. In order to play with an ensemble such as an orchestra or chamber group, I have to practice the music on my own at home. To learn the music, I need help from my teacher at a lesson. In order to have regular lessons, I must practice the assigned technique and repertoire. Not only is my musical life a cycle of cooperation and individual work, but just about every other area of my life such as high school can follow that pattern. I need a balance between working on my own and working with others for a successful life.

    The same structure holds true for global interactions. A country cannot exist independently without piquing interest in others to search for potential benefits whether it be trade, conquering, or diplomacy. However, complete dependency and lack of internal infrastructure can be disastrous when supporting countries pull out or take advantage of the country.

    Historically, cooperation, or lack of, between societies and groups creates disadvantages for some and advantages for others. To have a balanced world, not every country can be in their ideal economic, political, or military situation concurrently. The current of global influence constantly ebbs and flows.

    To better understand different types of cooperation, I looked up basic definitions in a few dictionaries:

1. “The process of working together to the same end” (New Oxford American Dictionary)

2. “Assistance, esp. by ready compliance with requests” (New Oxford American Dictionary)

3. “Association of persons for common benefit” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

    Global affairs, music, learning, and writing can all have differing meanings and applications of cooperation. How important is it for us to understand the definition of cooperation in each of these subjects? What are the global, personal, and cultural implications of cooperation? The beauty of language is that one word can take on different meanings in different context.