Ask any university student about group projects
...And you will find out that working with other students is painful. People don't show up, people don't do their part properly, people don't agree on what their topic should be and generally there is a very uneven dynamic between individuals. Of course sometimes you get a group of people that work together seamlessly and play on each others strengths but I'm going to guess that's the exception rather than the rule. One thing that is certain is that the entire group get the same grade regardless of whether they did all the work or didn't even show up. It certainly isn't fair but it is how teams work.
Team projects everywhere
Team sports
In a world where everything is about individual effort and individual achievement its hard to accept that an individual can do everything right and still lose. However, that is the case far more often than people like to think. @ecohive loves watching football, or at least his posts make it seem as if that is true. If you ask him if a championship match has a winner and a loser he would probably say that "of course it does and give you a weird look. Here is another thing to think about.... On the losing side you could have a number of players play at their absolute peak level of performance and because of a mistake of a team mate they lose the match. No trophy. No accolades. Just going home as a loser even after you played perfectly. Is it fair? Probably not, but that is how things go as a team.
Family
How about in a marriage? When you utter the words "I do" (or whatever is said in your region) you are now part of a team. If you add children into the mix the team gets larger. How often do marriages fail? In Canada I'm thinking its a 50:50 chance. Whose fault is it? Doesn't matter. A child could be the perfect child and they still end up in a broken home. A spouse could do everything they could and things still can fail. Is it fair that a person who put their life into a marriage that the other person ruins it? Is it fair for the children? Of course not.
Business
Ever think about a business? With very few exceptions most businesses have numerous employees. Many employees work very hard and need their jobs. Some employees have a weaker work ethic and don't work as hard. However, it only takes one bad employee to ruin the company. Indeed sometimes it is not the fault of any employee but if the markets fail? The entire work team suffers through no fault of their own.
Music
Ever go see a concert? There are many moving parts. There is lighting. There are multiple instruments. There are wardrobe people. There are security. Ticket sales. Parking attendants and many more. A whole team of people working to make sure that those attending the concert have a good experience. Guess what? If one instrument is off the song is ruined. If the wardrobe isn't taken care of the performers don't look like they should. If a ticket gets missed, if there is no parking spot then someone won't enjoy the show. Short version though... One person's error and multiple people suffer.
Some teams you choose. Others you don't.
I'm on Hive. Every time I hit publish I choose to be a Hivian. Every time I stake HP I'm committing to be a Hivian. However if Hive grows or dies? Beyond my control...however I choose to be here. I can assume some responsibility if things fail.
However, when it comes to cities, countries and many other things you just don't have a choice.
No choice but still stuck on the team
No person gets a choice in the country they are born. Their parents have a choice but the infant? They just arrive with no say. That birthplace makes them part of a team whether they like it or not. Their country of origin determines a great many things:
How many job prospects will they have?
How easy will education be to obtain?
How orderly will the country be?
How corrupt will the country be?
How good will the medical and other infrastructure be?
How many places will their passport take them?
...even how good the prison food will be.
And not all countries are created equal. Canada or North Korea: There is a difference in freedom. United States of America or Chad: There is a difference in economic opportunities. Norway or Nigeria there is a difference in personal security. Somalia, Ukraine, Palestine? I doubt the average person said "I think we need wartime conditions" yet the reality is that war found them.
Inequality and life not being fair is baked into the system at a very basic fundamental level. Making things fair for everyone is basically a pipe dream that is unlikely to happen in my lifetime.
We are all in this together
As the world becomes smaller and smaller there is one thing people have tended to forget. There is such a huge focus on "I" and "ME" that people forget that there is anything else. People pursue their own pleasure. People pursue their own wealth. People pursue their own happiness. Indeed that is the mantra seemingly everywhere. It misses out on one major point. Every person on earth is part of "TEAM EARTH". We don't have any other planet to go to. If people screw up the earth with plastics, pollutants, envy, strife or any other negative things. We are all on the same team and we all suffer.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Life isn't about "ME" it is about "WE". Team projects suck. However, all of the population is a citizen of this world. If we don't work together to make it better then we all suffer when it fails.
Individual may do well or poorly, but the game of life is a team sport. Win or Lose is up to the team not the person.
Just for fun
I'm Canadian and as such our economy is having issues right now because the American President decided to levy tariffs on us. I didn't vote for him. I don't want the tariff. I also have no say in the matter. One person in a foreign country decided tariffs are a good idea and I have to pay the price.
Unfortunately I didn't start the issue but I do have to live with it
The sad reality of the citizens affected by the decisions of leaders which are sometimes harsh. They say it's for the good of the people but it is the people who suffer the most. I still believe that the inequality margin can be made smaller significantly but then those that benefit from the large margin will not do so for fear of losing what they have.
Personally I think that most politicians have three agenda and they are typically self serving. (1) Enrich themselves so they are top of the heap. (2) Make the country better so they can live in a nicer place. (3) Keep the people moderately happy so they aren't threatening revolt while the politician lives a nice life.
But then again, I might be jaded :)
Thanks for the response. Appreciate it.
Out of the three options, it's only option number 2 they all seem to achieve swiftly to its maximum level.
You're welcome too! 😇
This is very interesting to read. I agree with you that team sport sucks especially with the analogies you made.
We don't have control of most things in the world. An individual action can be undone by someone else part of the team. In fact, the person might have the least influence but somehow ruin the whole team performance.
A good example is the Canada and Trump issue. His decision despite not being a governing body in Canada is affecting Canadians.
Climate change is another thing. In Nigeria, you get the scorching sun everywhere you go and realize they are actions of people who don't care about the environment. You are all green in your house but the next door neighbour dole out emissions that affects the ozone layer. In fact, the global north contributes the most to climate change with the impacts felt mostly by the global south who don't have the resources to battle it.
This shows that the world we live in is a team sport. If everyone isn't on the same wavelength, we all suffer the consequences one way or the other.