I woke up today morning with threads of last night’s discussion still tangled in my brain. Is collaboration really that important, a building block of our lives as my friend had emphasized? The thought weighed me down, as I had always believed teams to be breeding grounds of freeriding, fights, and frustration.
As I pondered and brooded, a thought bloomed in my chest. I would prove that I am a self-sufficient entity, and I could survive without the crutches of other human beings. Whistling, I scurried to the washroom all the while basking in the glory of my imagined win. Extracting the toothbrush out of the stand, I recollected my resolve to be mindful. Using my left hand, I started the up-down motion making sure I cover the whole ground. I had read somewhere that using one’s less dominant hand to brush had positive side effects. It certainly helped me to be in the moment, as I had to make a conscious decision for every scrub. I washed my face, and inspected my reflection in the mirror, a sort of a daily routine to make sure that I am not surprised one day to meet the person on the other side. As I assessed myself, other elements in the washroom fell in my view. I gazed at the reflection of my bathtub, WC, shower panel, and the glass cubicle. A little shake of my head brought the wooden door to my notice. I turned and brought my attention to the basin and back to the mirror. The happy reflection I had seen 20 seconds before had evaporated, and there stood a defeated soul.
I felt foolish, overpowered, and demolished. I had been brewing thoughts of proving my independence standing in the dead center of things created by other human beings. I gazed at the result of immense labor by dozens of people, right from the designers, construction workers, financers, and the owner, to the maintenance team that makes sure the place is in good condition to be used. As I elaborate this argument I realize that the size of human collaboration to bring this washroom to life is even higher. Behind every piece, there is a whole organization.
My aspiration to be a solo deflated at the very first act in the morning. I shivered at the thought of attending nature’s call in the lap of nature. Fortunately my phone buzzed and brought me out of the wild imagination. It was my friend who wanted to plan for the weekend. I smiled as I spoke to her; I surely needed people to talk to even if not for designing comforts. The remaining air of doubt lifted, and I felt totally convinced on the need of collaboration.
What do you think? Share your story where collaboration helped you.
Image credit - Photo by D A V I D S O N L U N A on Unsplash