Importance of collaboration lost in our society’s obsession with individual achievement

Writing as one of the few opinion columnists who try their best to steer clear of the sensitive world of politics, I sometimes find myself at a loss for what to discuss and dissect on a weekly basis. However, something will inevitably happen to remind me how absurd the world we live in is and the possible commentary becomes so blatant it’s almost laughable. This week, professors from two different classes presented me with two diverse assignments that illuminated a huge contradiction in my eyes. I found myself once again faced with the unspoken hypocrisies ingrained in the typical American mentality and questioning the learning styles that we have been cultured to practice.

Our American society is one that values individual perseverance and achievement as a foundational component to its function. As students at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, we are all constantly working towards our personal degrees that will help us, as singular beings, to theoretically advance higher in this credential world we have created. It is indeed, in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, “the age of the first person singular.” This idealistic American Dream is built upon the concept of personal accomplishment achieved through hard work and dedication. However, most of us are aware that this dream is built upon nostalgia and does not plausibly exist as a reality for much of our country.

So why is individualism, as far as worldly achievement and knowledge go, still so highly valued? As the common expression goes: “Aren’t two heads better then one?” It would be fair to assume that the combined studies and experiences of two individuals would generate a greater collective knowledge then that of one solitary person. However, in academics, many of us have been trained to loathe group work and have developed a strong preference towards individual study. Through past experiences we have learned to view the inclusion of others in our own personal achievements as a risk factor as we attempt to earn our degrees and move up in this credential society. The concept of collaboratively working with an individual threatens all of these ideas that we have been cultivated to function around.

Michael Oakeshott, an English philosopher who died in 1990, once said, “what distinguishes human beings from other animals is our ability to participate in unending conversation.” That is, the thing that separates the human race from the rest of the world is our ability, as highly developing beings, to discuss and analyze the world around us. Rather then isolating ourselves to independent study and observation, this “ongoing conversation” allow us to collectively build off of the personal realizations and findings of our peers. However, the American process of achievement is one that focuses entirely upon the solitary individual as they attempt to move up the ladder of social status. In this ridiculously fast-paced world where everyone has goals they are trying to achieve as quickly as possible, to slow down and add more depth to one’s own life through discourse is something often forgotten.

Through this exchange of not only words but also symbolic meaning attached to those words, humanity learns. The people surrounding you on a daily basis all have unique experiences and knowledge that many of us go through life not appreciating because of the self-driven civilization in which we’ve been cultured. Once one incorporates the mentality into their everyday life of collaboratively interacting with and appreciating the knowledge of those around them, they begin to see past the inherent filter of solely valuing individual achievement. We can do so much for our planet and learn an immense more about ourselves by living life with this ongoing conversation in mind. In the words of Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”