The XYZs of Interdependence

Interdependence refers to the actions of a group of people and its effects on another, who are separated by something, whether it be distance, culture, or other relevant differences. These effects can be positive or negative and they may be significant or less-so. In thinking about how interdependence affects me specifically, visualizing interdependence as a 3-dimensional web of interactions is helpful.

 

If observed on an XYZ grid, the X-axis refers to physical distance, the Y-axis to cultural distance and the Z-axis refers to historical distance. This streamlines the thought-process behind the ways that I am a product of interdependence. At point zero would be myself, with all of the privileges and disadvantages that affect my livelihood at a current point in time (in 2020).

 

So, here I am, sitting at my parent’s dining room table eating home-made lentil soup with a prepackaged piece of naan. At the first level, there is a chain of farmers, factory workers, transportation workers, designers and engineers (among other professionals) to thank for even being able to cook in an efficient and healthy manner from home. Additionally, scientific advancements such as the development of vaccines, medicines and psychological treatments allow me to live in a relatively enjoyable way.

 

On a second level, I like to place the socio-political phenomena that affect me until now. From the civil rights movements and the riots for LGBTQ rights in the 60s, to my parents’ advocacy for my US citizenship in the early 2000s, my rights and responsibilities are a product of decades upon decades of hard work by other minority groups. Of course, the same can be said about the disadvantages when keeping in mind white supremacy and the patriarchy. Nevertheless, interdependence is an important concept to keep in mind as we move-forward with actions intended to make a change because it forces us to think about how these actions can affect others in the future.

2 Comments

  1. Lindsey Lyons

    Hey Christian! Nice to v-meet you and learn more from you. Is the XYZ grid something you learned in this course, or something you applied on your own? I like it. I haven’t yet read all the materials that Bruno and Sam put together for the week, but look forward to doing that and following along. I like your thinking. Can you imagine if everyone took the time to “think about how these actions can affect others in the future”? What are some of the obstacles that keep people from doing this more thoroughly and often?

    • merinorc

      Hi Lindsey! Very nice to meet you as well! The 3D grid was a thought that came to mind after reading the prompts for the blog post and noticing the “historical” piece. After our discussion on Friday, I was envisioning interdependence as a Web on a 2D plane but the addition of the third variable made me think of a better way to visualize it for myself. Interestingly enough, the video we watched for today’s course (June 1st) dealt a lot with visual learning and representation so that was exciting!

      In regards to your question, I think the main obstacle to making this a common act is accessibility. Not everyone has the time to spare, or the resources, to carefully think out actions. Another, more cynical reason would be that people just may not care because they are more focused on what benefits them in that moment.

      Thank you fur your comment! I look forward to meeting you!

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