C is for Cooperation

         (If you’re waiting for April before officially beginning the April A to Z Blog Challenge, don’t mind me!  You can read my Theme Reveal Post here, and when April comes I’ll direct you to the correct letter every day.)

        My A to Z Blog Challenge theme this year is Bittersweetness & Light, my new collection of hope-filled, joy-inducing fantasy and sci fi short stories, poems, and art.  I’ll be sharing lots of fun excerpts, and I’ll also be sharing some of the background on why we urgently need joyful stories.  (You can find out all about the April A to Z Blog Challenge here.  I’ve got a head start, but I’ll end up at the finish line with everyone else, I promise.  In the meantime, you can see the themes other bloggers will be writing about here.)

        Cooperation is one of my favorite themes.  I love stories in which problems are solved not by some lone hero, but by characters coming together to share their skills and perspectives and help each other reach solutions together.  I’ve certainly got a few of those stories in my book, but today I’m sharing one of the block prints.  This one is called “All in This Together.”  I made it during the COVID lockdown in 2020, but of course we always seem to need the reminder that what hurts one hurts all, and what helps one helps all.

        Another C word I could write about is Cynicism, which is another epidemic that’s keeping us locked down.  Cynics don’t think other people can be trusted, and thus lose out on all the benefits of cooperation.  The more dire things seem, the more important it is to be consciously skeptical of your cynicism, which actually isn’t as smart or as worldly-wise as you think it is.  It actually isn’t keeping you safe or getting you ahead.  (Interested in the science that proves this?  Check out Hope for Cynics by Jamil Zaki, 2024.)  The narrative of catastrophe is not the whole story.  Goodness really is out there all around, so get out and find it — and every time you find some, be sure to share it.  After all, we’re all in this together.

        Marketing Moral: Recommend my book to everyone you know who might like it.  Whenever you find any story, or poem, or art that brings you joy, spread the word!  Tell all your friends.  In fact, tell all your enemies, too, since they probably need a message of joy and love at least as much as you do.  (And nothing helps small-time/indie authors and artists more than word of mouth.)

        Proper Moral: Many hands make light work.  Cooperation is actually a basic human need, essential for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Now more than ever we need to make sure we look out for one another - and not just our closest buddies, either.  Plus, a rising tide raises all ships.

        Do you find it difficult to ask for help?  Many of us want to be self-sufficient, and hate to be a bother…  But humans actually love to help and be helped.  If you could use a little assistance from your fellow humans, go ahead and ask!

[Picture: All in This Together, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2020 (Image from Bittersweetness & Light, but originals are still available at NydamPrints.com).]