WHY WE NEED EACH OTHER

The image of a single penguin moving out onto an ice-covered plain is stark and telling. And there is a companion image, one showing a large number of penguins huddled together in a group. It’s said the probability of the single penguin surviving for very long is just about zero. The environment is just too cold and hostile to make it possible.

From time to time we need to consider CAL-MOAA as community. We talk a lot about serving the military community, and in large part the Council and affiliated chapters are exactly what we’re talking about. Since we are all one body, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.

We live in a society constantly sending a countercultural message, namely that we want to do it “my way.” We love our independence. But real success comes not with independence but with interdependence. You need me and I need you. We operate within a wonderful community and we should use it to advantage.

We need others to walk with us. Let us not give up the habit of meeting together; instead, let us encourage one another. Community, to a very large part, is an answer to loneliness. As each part does its work, it helps the other parts grow. It’s safer; there is strength in numbers. It’s supportive; when we do things together we develop synergy and get more done than when operating alone. It’s smarter; we have access to the experience of others.

We need others to work with us. There’s a story of a basketball team member who was told by the coach to do 2,500 pushups or he would be cut from the team; when he failed, and because he was considered a valuable player, the other players pitched in and did the work for him. We have a lot of work to do; serving the military and wider communities can be a complex and difficult undertaking. There is a mission to perform, purposes to carry out, military members and families to serve and support. Two people are better than one as they can get more done. Three are better yet. Community, in part, is the answer to fatigue. We need to work for the benefit of all, starting with those closest to us. If the requirement is to give lots of paperback books to the local veterans hospital, many contributions make the job light. All contribute; none get tired.

We need others to watch out for us. Some communities have so-called “neighborhood watch groups” where those living in the immediate area keep an eye on the well-being and property of others nearby. We want and need to watch out for our own interests and also the interests of others. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three is even better, because a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Community is an answer to defeat. If one person falls, others will reach out and help; people alone who fall are in real trouble. Who will help meet those special needs from time to time?

We need others to wait and weep with us. There will be a crisis from time to time; that’s life. Some say it’s enough to belong to National MOAA and get the magazine, that local chapter membership is unnecesssary and perhaps a waste of money. But it’s not sufficient. In a sense, we are like a big family full of sympathy toward each other; if one part suffers, every part suffers. We need people who will be there for us, to give us rides to membership meetings, visit us in the hospital, help us understand our earned entitlements, and even attend our funerals. Community, in part, is an answer to despair. Studies show that people are more prone to sickness when there is a lack of social support.

We need others to help us share the MOAA message. Members of one church send out pairs to witness to their beliefs as their is strength in numbers. And we do need to share the MOAA message, and benefits of professional association membership, with others. Community, in part, is an answer to unbelief. There are thousands of National MOAA members out there who are not members of local chapters, and for the most part they have little or no passion for MOAA or the military community. We miss out on many benefits because we are not plugged in. We need the group to help us understand, and help others understand, the full meaning of the MOAA message.

Rally 2006 attendance will demonstrate the value of community and why we need each other.

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