The Power of Partnership
Aristotle on Partnership
In his book the Politics, Aristotle asked the question, “What is a city?” His answer was:
“A city is a partnership for living well.”
And when we understand what he’s getting at, we realize that this should be the way we think about any grouping of human beings that’s relatively stable: A family is a partnership for living well, and so is a neighborhood, a business, a state, or a nation. When we lose that sense of what they are, things begin to go badly. In our time we need to rediscover this concept.
A Formula for Human Greatness
I also think there’s a formula or recipe for human greatness hidden in Aristotle’s Politics. I’d put it like this. It’s all about:
People in Partnership for a shared Purpose.
It’s that simple. But simple of course is different from easy. In all our endeavors, we need to see to create conditions in which people in partnership for a shared purpose can flourish.
The Circles of Hierocles
The second century Roman Stoic Hierocles isn’t widely known but he had one great idea. Our lives can be mapped by concentric circles, like an archery target. Here’s my way of stating and expanding on his idea: In the innermost circle of your there should be a partnership of your heart and mind. Get them as strong and healthy as they can be, then they can contribute in a positive way to the next and closest circle: Your family and best friends. Make that circle as good as it can be and it can contribute in a positive way to the next circles of neighborhood, community, workplace, city, state, nation and world.
Each circle is to contribute to make the next circle out stronger and better. Then each outer circle should reach back to support and nurture its inner circles. This makes for a great world.
When we cut ourselves off from the greater circles, we impoverish our own lives. When we open up, we find new sources of inspiration and strength.
The Strengths of Partnerships
Partnerships can enhance these circles in two ways, by being creative and by being contributive.
When Bob Frank and Ray Stein partnership up and truly collaborate they don’t just share each other’s ideas but create new ones, new Frank & Stein ideas! We can do together what we can’t do alone.
Great examples: The books The Three Muskateers and Dracula!
The Ethics of Care
And partnerships can be contributive in powerful ways, through an ethics of care.
What we care about and pay attention to builds up structures of value in our hearts and minds. Then we can bring that value to the greater good of the world.
There are three forms of care noted in English, as expressed in the phrases:
Take Care: Be cautious in action.
Car About: Honor what’s of value.
Care For: Nurture and support the good.
The ethics of care make for great partnerships, combined with the Four Foundations of Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Unity, and implemented with The 7 Cs of Success. For those ideas see the index at the top of this page.
