Cooperation is the art of working in unison towards a common purpose, knowing fully that we can achieve more together than alone. The word is so magical that the mere thought of it has a soothing effect on our minds. It does not require a philosopher to tell us that teamwork is the key to success and accomplishment in every sphere of life. It is a divine virtue which leads to co-creation and makes possible symphonies, bridges, and communities. A society exists because of cooperation. It is a psychological and social necessity for human beings, for they cannot lead a solitary life. It is, in fact, the foundation of human society and animal life alike. Human beings cannot lead a happy and comfortable life without cooperation, nor can animals survive without its magic.
Cooperation is essential in every sphere of individual and social life. In modern society, progress in the field of science and technology, agriculture and industry, transportation and communication, and trade and commerce would not have been possible in the absence of cooperation. Similarly, social unity and integration also depend upon cooperation because it mitigates differences and conflicts, inspiring people to maintain solidarity. However, after reading so much positive about something mandatory to life, one cannot help but ask this question: when there is so much to gain from teamwork, why is there so much competition, confrontation, and lack of cooperation evident in every aspect of today's society?
Today, mass degeneration of human values is being experienced, where everything is measured in terms of money and power. Therefore, most human activity is guided by greed for money and lust for power. This has led to cut-throat competition in all realms. Most of us have become so conditioned that we believe that it is the competition—not cooperation—which is the key to success that brings out the best in us.
The truth, however, is that intensely competitive structures cause high stress and moral corruption that damages physical, mental, and social health. Besides, they foster a dehumanising mentality, causing distrust, rivalry, and unfriendliness. A comparative study of competitive and cooperative effort situations has revealed that cooperation works far better than competition.
How? Well, it’s quite simple. Competition tends to drive wedges between human beings, whereas cooperation builds bridges and fosters unity, thereby promoting harmony and teamwork. Any kind of specialisation can be taken advantage of in a cooperative situation, but under competitive structures, the very same specialisation tends to become a tool for exploitation.
In a climate of cooperation, both encouragement and helpful criticism can be given and received as the atmosphere stimulates the drive to find mutually satisfying solutions to problems. Thus, relationships and endeavours based on cooperation are more successful and lasting.
Today, we see people uniting in groups, big or small, only to protect, strengthen, or improve their position vis-a-vis other social groups at large. This is mainly because, of late, the approach to cooperation has been one of ‘giving’ with an eye on ‘taking’—with a focus on taking more. Society has now forgotten that there is another philosophy to life—that of ‘giving’ rather than ‘taking’.
Remember that the law of every action having an equal and opposite reaction applies to cooperation as well. If we give more to the community than we take from it, we shall always have a surplus balance to draw upon. Hence, cooperation begets cooperation; in giving, getting is automatically reciprocated.
The Bhagavad Gita also says, ‘Perform noble actions without expecting reward; reward will automatically follow’. This can be simplified to be understood as the Law of Karma. In reality, even a long-term self-interest is best served by working for the maximum common good of all. This is because there is interdependence in the universe, and whatever a person does is bound to bounce back to them, sooner or later. So why not practise the art of giving like our ancestors and become a devta, that is, the giver?