This week, much of the United States will take a day off to celebrate Independence Day. As our history books attest, independence is hard-won. Independence requires a belief in the possibility of a life different from the status quo and the courage to act on that possibility.  

As a voracious reader, I have spent quite a bit of time seeking to understand our history and the evolution of humanity.   I have come to understand that as challenging as the fight for independence was for our country and continues to be for people across the world, in the end, it may be that the harder fought battle is learning how to be interdependent.  It is rare for people to live truly independent lives.  In fact, the most successful, the most fulfilled, seem to have learned the art of reciprocity—building coalitions and healthy relationships that have at their core the hope of mutual success.  The very structure on which our society is built, demands interdependence.  We need to learn to operate comfortably in our interconnected, interdependent environment.

At The Fedcap Group, we use the tag line “better together” quite a bit. 

We mean it. 

We have brought over twenty companies together under one umbrella, because we believe our interdependence is the foundation for organizational stability, sustainability and long-term impact.

In our day to day work, our goal is to help those we serve build successful, interdependent lives.  Our efforts in helping people find jobs, overcome addiction, and achieve educational success require teaching those we serve the art of interdependence—how to ask for and receive help, how to trust, how to develop and then rely on on a community of support, and how to work together to achieve a goal. 

So this week, as many celebrate our independence, I invite you to consider the idea of celebrating our interdependence—in the end we may be stronger for it!