COOPERATION

“ The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to
do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” (Genesis 11)

People movements are powerful. Even the Creator acknowledges that there’s nothing
impossible with people who understand and agree with each other to push the
achievement of a particular purpose.

A closer look at Genesis 11 in the story of the Tower of Babel would reveal that people
who understand each other can accomplish a great task. If people speak “the same
language”, they could establish a norm and start a tradition. Having “the same
language” means having one voice which means speaking the same message. What
better example could be stated than the Values Restoration Officers (VROs) in the
different government agencies all around the nation discussing one value focus during
flag ceremonies? Having one voice, these VROs serve as the conscience inside their
offices by reminding their co-workers to practice a particular value every week. This
people movement, if continued for five years or more, could not only leave a lasting
impact but rebuild the moral infrastructure of the nation. United by the same message
and the same heart behind the message, this people movement could achieve the
desired change in the nation. As Mattie J.T. Stepanek once said, “Unity is
strength…when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be
achieved.”

What caused the failure of the people movement formed in Genesis 11 in building a
tower in Babel is not the fact that they cooperated. What caused their downfall is
their desire to “make a name for themselves”. In short, their pride became their
destruction. By their cooperation, they could have been unstoppable if not for their
pride. That’s the reason why the Creator confused their language so that they could
not understand each other. To date, people do not completely understand each other.
People from the same family even have different perspectives on one thing. Up to
this time, the effect of man’s pride is still felt. Thus, Bertrand Russel was not wrong
when he said, “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.” If mankind
would learn to understand each other as the days of old, then mankind would be
unstoppable.

However, it should be borne in mind that people who cooperate to accomplish a task
must cooperate to do good things; otherwise, they would bear the consequences of
performing an evil purpose. Cooperation is not used for noble purposes alone but for
evil ones as well. When present, cooperation could cause the accomplishment not
only of noble purposes but evil as well. However, lifetime consequences may be
suffered if evil purposes are attained. Therefore, let us use the power of cooperation
only for honorable causes.

Together, let us cooperate to build a better image of our families, cities, agencies and
nation. This is the only nation we have! (Council for the Restoration of Filipino Values)