Thrival of the Cooperative

The very common understanding of evolution proposed by Charles Darwin is usually characterized as “Survival of the Fittest.” Evidence supports this claim with species of organisms arising and developing through the natural selection of inherited variations and adaptations that increase an individual's ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. This theory has influenced many, and has been modernized to include newer scientific theories of evolution. This biological sense of evolution grows out of the relative nature of duality. From the non-dual understanding, One Life Awareness, evolution would be represented more appropriately as “Thrival of the Cooperative.”

As you dive deeply into at this axiom, you will find that Thrival of the Cooperative operates in Awareness as a process of conectedness. Nothing thrives without cooperation as all life is interdependent and connected. You can see One Life Awareness in the midst of cooperation functioning in all levels of being, and all life expression.

In a world filled with fear, primarily fear of enoughness and death, Survival of the Fittest presents a roadmap for a seemingly successful navigation of life’s difficulties—just become the fittest and you win. The trouble is, that becoming the fittest is really only possible with the realization of deep connectedness to others, and must be fueled by cooperation.
In the realm of Thrival of the Cooperative, groups of organisms work or act together for common or mutual benefits, frequently understood as “adaptation” that promotes some benefit for all concerned. All involved see whatever they attain to be a positive result of cooperation, whereas in the throes of a Survival of the Fittest orientation, competition puts every organism at risk for survival. Without a Thrival of the Cooperative approach to life, the goals and achievements of individuals are unrelated to each other and tend to promote a sense of isolation and separation.

There are many different kinds of cooperation. What has been called direct cooperation refers to people all doing the same thing together with one goal or outcome in mind. This might be everyone pulling the weeds in the garden, or even everyone chanting together ceremoniously. This kind of cooperation is voluntary, and could be done by oneself if desired. Indirect cooperation is when people all do different things to achieve one goal. An example might be all the different laborers and tradesmen who are necessary to build a house, or perhaps all the musicians in an orchestra, or any other endeavor that requires a division of labor. When people specialize and add their skills to other specialists, the form of cooperation is considered to be indirect. Both forms utilize connectedness and achieve results that could not be attained without some form of cooperation.

Connectedness is the knowing that everything living and non-living is connected in some way. Not all connections are obvious or measurable. Yet connections exist and reinforce the truth of interdependency. Knowing you are connected to everyone and everything is the ground from which thrival commences, and cooperation is the path to express that knowing.

Think of all the ways you cooperate. It is one of the most primary elements of all experience. It doesn’t matter if you are cooperating with a friend or spouse, with your community or country. Cooperation is the process of One Life—All That Is—and it is difficult for an individual to thrive without it.

​In the past two pandemic years cooperation has been highlighted. The only way to move beyond the virus has been to generate cooperation amongst individuals and use the power of coming together in new ways as a means of continuing to thrive. The human world is still quite unsettled around the virus and its activities. Connectedness has created thrival by using cooperation as a better strategy than a competitive “fittest” strategy. Ultimately everything and All That Is must cooperate directly and indirectly in order for all to thrive. Let go of fear in order to allow deep connectedness, and simply find ways to cooperate with All That Is. Every action is an opportunity to cooperate, every cooperative expression is an affirmation of connectedness and thrival.