The Value Of Living Together: The Social Harmony The World Needs
Cohabitation is this pillar on which any aspect of our life should be based. As social figures, we have no higher priority than to achieve a peaceful, efficient and harmonious coexistence. This would ensure not only our survival as a group but also our well-being and our ability to progress.
Psychiatrist Enrique Rojas points out that cohabitation simply means knowing how to share, being part of the other’s existence and succeeding in getting the other, in turn, to become involved in ours. As we know, this is not always easy to achieve. While sometimes it is already complicated to get there within the family nucleus, we can understand the challenge this presents between countries and on a global scale.
It takes more than commitments, pretty words and agreements signed at international peace summits. When it comes to cohabitation, above all, we need willpower and, on this point, we are all important. Because the great revolutions are not made by moving mountains but by changing the place of the stones which compose them.
Real changes are silent, small, but daily. And this is where we can all get involved.
The pillars that support cohabitation
Lawrence Kohlberg, in his theory of moral development, pointed out that the most decisive stage of the child came from the age of 10, with the stage known as “autonomous”. This is the moment when we realize that beyond the norms imposed by a society, there are human needs. We then realize the value of individual actions, altruism, compassion …
But cohabitation does not start only from the need to respect each other and to live in peace. It goes well beyond these dimensions. It is essential to add a certain activism and real and committed actions that one would find in almost any scene of our daily life. It is not only the great nations which must know how to coexist among themselves by reducing conflicts and differences.
The value of cohabitation structures every area of our existence. It is essential for being happy as a couple, for starting a family and raising children. Cohabitation should be evident in every building, every office, and behind every threshold we cross.
Cohabitation is the responsibility of knowing and understanding the other, seeing ourselves reflected in others. In this social dynamic, there are great doses of empathy, feelings and tolerance.
Non-violence in all its forms
May 16 is the day of cohabitation in peace. This is a great time to reflect on how each of us contributes to this goal.
Non-violence is a dimension that we should value above all. We should understand that violence as such does not just refer to physical aggression, which is much more visible and obvious to everyone.
- Knowing how to speak to us with respect without using aggressive communication is an example
- Being able to understand without discriminating, to accept differences without attacking, criticizing or hiding them are other aspects that we should take into consideration.
- The art of non-violence that Gandhi spoke to us about is the only way to promote coexistence between people and peoples.
Compassion and solidarity
Cohabitation will never be possible if we fail to appreciate the other, that person who, like each of us, has his own points of view, origins, values and needs. We are all different and equal at the same time, we are all worthy of appreciation, of respect.
We deserve to build the life we want. This undoubtedly requires greater compassion and solidarity between us.
Cohabitation and the value of moving forward united towards the same objectives
To coexist in a changing world full of uncertainties and threats, human beings have had to act as a group throughout history. This is how we survive as a species. And this is how we should act in times of difficulty.
To achieve such a goal, it is essential to put aside differences, selfishness and special interests.
Take care of our planet, the home that welcomes us
It would be almost impossible to talk about the value of cohabitation without taking into account the context, the home that welcomes us and which allows all of us to be there. We all understand how important it is to ensure aspects such as peace, social equality, non-discrimination, non-violence in all its forms …
Another crucial aspect that cannot be put aside today is the need to protect and watch over Mother Earth and its ecosystems. If life is a balance and if the balance comes from the harmony of cohabitation, it is urgent to take care of the home which has welcomed us and which will welcome the next generations.
Let us think about each of these aspects, understanding that cohabitation begins at home and everywhere around us. We are all important in this social, emotional and existential cycle.
Our thoughts Couples Non Cohabitants (CNC) live an intimate relationship but they have decided not to live together. However, is such a relationship alive …
