Interdependence Day

Some of the conversations I've been reading in the non-musical blogosphere over the past few days have given me pause for thought. So I'm going to digress momentarily from my normal line of writing. (There is an mp3 at the end, so you can skip to that if you want...)

Rushan and friends have been exploring ways that we come closer to being who we truly are, not only by dropping the masks we use so often in our daily interactions, but by acknowledging that we, as individuals, are not complete without a community around us. A quote from M. Scott Peck:

"...we can never be completely whole in and of ourselves. We cannot be all things to ourselves and to others. We cannot be perfect. ... So we are called to wholeness and simultaneously to recognition of our incompleteness; called to power and to acknowledge our weakness; called to both individuation and interdependence."

As something of an rugged individual myself, it's often hard to recognize that I am very dependent on others to become more like who I am - whether within my family, at work, at church or in music. For example, I'm very fortunate to have discovered such strong musical colleagues in one million dollars, the Brassouls and Vitamin S to help focus my musical ramblings. My family supports me and forgives my faults unconditionally. (Dunno why). And if I value them enough, friends far and near will always be there along the journey.

The same gratitude applies in the little blue and green blogosphere in which etnobofin floats. This blog would be of limited value without the readers and fellow bloggers who visit every so often, and who hopefully discover some new things. It is very reassuring that there are so many people out there who share some of my enthusiasms.

So this post is for all of you, wherever you are. In this world where our relationships with others seem often defined by which XML feeds we subscribe to, let's celebrate the communities that really bind us together and make us whole. Peace, and kia kaha.

Sly and the Family Stone - Family Affair
From There's a Riot Going On: Sony 467063 [Buy]

Lake Tekapo, July 2002