The phrase “it takes a village” is widely used, often in passing. Yet, many forget what it means to truly be a villager.
Western society has taught us not to rely on each other. Those revered are those who rose from the rubble alone, not those who sought the support of loved ones. It is seen as a sort of deficiency in character to seek help from our peers, so much so that we reject the notion that we may need it to our detriment. Furthermore, relying on institutions instead is incredibly convenient. All one must do is exchange money or obtain citizenship to receive a plethora of services and rights. It’s impersonal, relatively quick, and reliable. We become dependent on these systems and praise them for the ease they provide us, yet wonder why life can at times feel so unnatural.
Making small talk becomes anxiety-inducing. Becoming a parent upheavals your life and requires a complete shift in identity, particularly for mothers. The world feels dark and lonely when your phone is dead. And when a government doesn’t serve its people, they have nothing to fall back on because their safety nets were built vertically, not laterally.
We forget that it is through community that we learn to walk, to speak, to understand the emotions of others, and to think critically. These skills are not spontaneously formed through our isolated determination. We do not realize that it is the death of the community that has caused natural aspects of life to become obstacles rather than simply stages and events. But most importantly, we forget the absolute joy and relief we feel in giving and receiving support to and from others, choosing instantaneous, short-term gratification over long-term fulfillment.
The current state of the world is often blamed on human nature, but I would like to challenge that notion. If our nature was greed and domination, a desire for power and status at the expense of others, and to live in vertical societal hierarchies, then our current world would not feel unnatural at all. We would feel right at home without any sort of connection because we would never desire it. We would not form friendships or even societies because human beings would never have learned to work with or live alongside one another, preferring a constant state of conflict with our own neighbors.
Life has never been and never will be easy. However, it is because of the community that human beings have prospered despite the challenges that come with existence. I believe that human nature is to connect and uplift. Whether it is a baby to its mother, a friend to a friend, or our hearts to a purpose, human beings have long desired more than just survival even when it does not aid us, because our large, complex brains allow us to seek more than instinct. We do not create and share art or music because it helps us survive. We do not wash our elderly, chat with the barista crafting our coffee, visit the sick, or give gifts to newlyweds because it helps us survive. We do so because it makes us feel connected to something or someone.
So let us preserve what makes us human before it is lost completely.
By Inam Deen 
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