Apathy, Interconnections, and Rude Awakenings

"Let them do what they want. It doesn't affect me." How many times have you heard that statement (or something similar to it)? How about, "Mind your own business"? Do things other people do--even perfect strangers from far away--affect us? And should we do something about it?

Have you seen that new show with John Quiñones called "What Would You Do?" It's basically about strangers (paid actors) doing things that most other people would normally find unacceptable and whether the observers will decide to get involved. The implication of the show is that they should get involved. I guess it's that age-old apathetic (and pathetic) question: Am I my brother's keeper?

Before we go on, a little quiz. What is the best-selling nonfiction audio book on tape in history? It's an international bestseller that has sold (as of this writing) more than 15 million copies in 38 languages throughout the world and still going strong. And in 2002, Forbes named it one of the top 10 most influential management books ever. Give up? It's "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey. Why do I mention this? I feel there are principles in this book that are insightful and accurate ... and apparently so do a lot of other people from many different walks of life. Not that, in and of itself, that proves the truthfulness of his words, but at least it should give us reason to have an open mind and find out for ourselves if his words ring true.

He writes about the different stages of maturity that we (hopefully) go through in life. We start out as defenseless babes, unable to take care of ourselves and therefore dependent on others to take care of us. Then we grow and become independent: capable of taking care of ourselves and making our own decisions. Unfortunately too many think that's the highest level. But it's not. The greatest maturity is to be, and to recognize, interdependence. This is the stage where we realize we are all intertwined and that we must cooperate--or as he puts it, synergize--with others to achieve greater heights than any one could achieve individually or that could be achieved at all by one person alone.

When you think about it, aren't phrases such as "becoming who I really am" or "doing my own thing" just expressions of selfish seclusion? How about doing things for others and becoming better than "who I really am" today for the benefit of society as a whole tomorrow? Even Bill Gates who, depending upon the year, is named the richest man in the world, could not have grown Microsoft to the behemoth it is today all by himself. He is only as rich as he is because other people give him money. I'm not familiar with his personal habits, but more than likely he depends upon others to grow and package his food, make his clothes, build his cars, etc., etc., etc.

We are all interconnected. A year ago how many of us would have thought about our neighbor who let his house go into foreclosure, "Let him do what he wants. It doesn't affect me"? Look at where our economy is today because of others defaulting on their home loans. Do what our neighbors--or even perfect strangers clear across the country--do affect us? Yes. Does what we do affect others? Yes. We are all tied together.

We may not always be able to tell how the actions of others will affect us or our society, but they do to one degree or another. We can't just sit back and be like the three monkeys: deaf, dumb and blind. But what if the effects of people's actions are not immediately apparent (like the housing crisis) and we don't recognize the harm that can be done? That's where it gets tricky, but we can't ignore the potential. Remember the "butterfly effect"? Even little things can have huge consequences.

I'm not trying to be an alarmist here, I just think it would be nice to avoid rude awakenings.