collaboration

I read an article on collaboration.  There are dozens of them, probably thousands.  It's a buzzword of note.  In an individualistic world where "competitive" is synonomous with "alive", this is interesting.

Two ladies cooperate in sweeping!

Of course, the way the word is used it tends to be slightly restrictive ... it refers mainly to virtual connection, and always to in house partnership.  I mean, no one wants to collaborate with the competition!  Our whole system would collapse if we stopped the cut-throat business "eithics".
But, hey!  There is more ... look at how much shareware there is in the computer universe.  Linux, Open Office and all the spin-offs are my friends!  How many things can I do for free on the internet?  Facebook, Google (thank you, that includes this blog!), YouTube and on ad infinitum. 

(All right, I know they are all comercialising, making money out of ads, and who knows how else. But still, 20 years ago there was NOTHING free.  And I know that one has, alas, to possess access to computers and connection in some form which costs money.  But still ... for so many people it is accessible.)

"Also, if two lie down together they will keep warm."

One might be forgiven for thinking that nobody had ever cooperated or worked in a team ever before, but there is nothing new under the sun.  3000 years ago an urban philosopher said:  "Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labour ... A cord of three strands is not easily broken." 

It's a bit of a challenge trying to live collaboratively in a competative world ... but maybe it's worth a try?