I was out for an early morning power walk when they seemed to come upon me out of nowhere, at first startling and then mesmerizing as they passed me by in perfect and powerful synchronization, gliding across the water. As quickly as they appeared they disappeared into the rising sun…I was both in awe and envious.
As long as I can remember, I have wanted the opportunity to be a part of the crew on a rowing team. The complete and critical collaboration of the crew towards the unified desired outcome is incredibly appealing. Each individual must bring the full capacity of their abilities in precise unity with every other person on the boat. Doing your own thing or trying to be a standout star is absolutely counterintuitive to being a part of the crew for a rowing team.
I work with a lot of organizations, communities, and gatherings of people and one of the consistent top challenges is for folks to come together with a common vision, common agenda. Too often, in my experience, individuals are driven by their own self interest or self promotion rather than unifying with others around a singular focus.
What I have discovered as the secret sauce of turning the tide of individualism toward community is drawing the connection between each person’s particular contribution toward the success of the group. The reality is that each of us brings unique gifts. Acknowledging and affirming the importance these gifts bring demonstrates both respect and encouragement of the value they can bring to the success of the larger group.
This is exactly the dynamic that Paul discovered with the faith community in Corinth. His use of the body metaphor, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body” is a powerful affirmation of the value of the individual toward the unity of the whole.
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real. – Marge Piercy, To Be of Use