If children were left to grow up thinking it’s fine to steal from others, safe to jump off tall buildings, or commendable to harass anyone who speaks with a different accent, there would be an outcry about the failings of our education system.
It is no more acceptable for anyone to be brought up to believe that they should only ever care about themselves, or they are entitled to do as they please regardless of the consequences for others. Unfortunately, by design or default, many have acquired a mindset which assumes that doing anything that helps others must be inherently bad, and that one should always focus on what one wants.
The more people in society are moved by such inclinations, the worse it gets for society and its members. Instead of being well disposed and mentally equipped to pull together to tackle problems and make improvements that individuals on their own could not manage, we lose out because too many people keep rejecting collaboration, and ruining everyone’s prospects with their ‘beggar-thy-neighbour’ tendencies.
What can we do? Just as we need to ensure our children learn about the importance of respecting others, understanding safety, and so on, we ought to make certain that everyone is given the support to develop their propensity and skills for helping each other. Through citizenship education – in its broadest sense – each and every generation should learn to work with others for their mutual benefits, and back policies and practices that serve the common good.
There are four main components to this.
Firstly, we should teach ‘Ideas and Examples’ that will help to explain why and how collaboration with others – through sharing suggestions, efforts, resources, etc. – can lead to better results for all. Draw on sociological studies and historical records to demonstrate how acting in accordance with mutual responsibility, cooperative enquiry, and citizen participation leads to more satisfactory outcomes than purely self-centred behaviour.
Secondly, we should inculcate ‘Practical Skills’ that will enable people to relate to others empathetically, work with colleagues constructively in finding solutions to problems, and seek the views of others in reaching decisions that reflect an informed consensus. It takes training to be open to diverse ideas without giving up on making considered judgement; and the ability to choose a well-founded answer should go hand-in-hand with the readiness to revise one’s position in the light of new evidence and argument.
Thirdly, we need to provide ‘Utilisation Opportunities’ and encourage their take-up. People learn from doing, and opportunities should be developed for participation in community collaboration (e.g., familiarisation events, group activities for defining and pursuing common goals); open exploration (e.g., investigative projects, joint outreach and research); and inclusive engagement (e.g., deliberative assessment events; reflective decision forums).
Fourthly, we must bolster ‘Supportive Conditions’ across society so that as many structural obstacles to cooperative interactions as possible can be removed. This involves institutional policies at all levels to help promote togetherness (through backing shared missions, mutual respect, inclusive membership); secure objectivity (by requiring cooperative learning, critical re-examination, responsible communication); and strengthen power balance (with participatory decision-making, civic parity, public accountability)
A society that is riven by egocentric behaviour is no society at all. Citizens who want to live together successfully and harmoniously must learn to help each other.
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