There is a beauty in the interplay of
humans. Sometimes we call it teamwork, sometimes we call it dance,
or performance. Whatever you call it, the complex interactions of
different people doing different things, often in restricted spaces
with limited resources, can be mesmerizing.
Of course, like all great things, if
you do it well enough, nobody notices. I went to the symphony for
the first time, not long ago. I look back at it and realize that the
synchronization, the unity of performance fell completely beneath my
notice. All I did was listen to the music. The fact that it took
sixty or seventy people, all working together in precise and careful
ways without anything to guide them except one person with a stick
and some pieces of paper.
Oh yeah, and lots and lots and LOTS of
practice. Both individually and as a group.
In order for this interplay to work,
every individual has to know their part. And the parts of the people
they are relying on, many of whom are relying on still other people,
and so on, outward.
Put all of that together and you get
something magical. You get precision drill teams, ballet companies,
rocket launches, sports teams and the Hoover Dam.
There is a beauty and nobility to the
human, alone. But the stunning accomplishments of groups go far
beyond that. To be on such a team, that is a gift both given and
received.
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