Group Synergy or Amalgamation

Lately, I have been re-reading several favorite books. These are books that make me think, learn and reflect on my present environment. In recent weeks, I have re-read Tennessee William's Glass Menagerie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera, Lauren Weisberger's Devil Wears Prada and currently, David Quammen's Natural Acts.

Glass Menagerie is all about human foibles and reminds me of the validity of each person's perspective on life. Love in the Time of Cholera is a strong reminder of the ageless strength of our passion whether it be physical or only in our hearts and mind. The Devil Wears Prada is a wake-up to anyone who manages people in the capacity of an employer or a group leader. Natural Acts is an examination of natural science and how it applies to our human condition, our humanity.

One of the essays in Quammen's book talks about Amalgamation. His description about jellyfish is as follows: "...the concensus for togetherness came about first, then division of labor, finally morphological specializations that fitted certain of the individuals for certain tasks. Some members of the colony went in to service as gut lining, some as tentacles. This pattern of evolution toward multicellular animals, which has not been uncommon in the origin of species - and which should be understood literally, not metaphorically - has been labeled amalgamation. The principle is as familiar as the print on a dime: e pluribus unum. Many simple lives fused synergistically into one complex life."

The last sentence sums up the concept of grouping here in Second Life and as well as life in general. Together we are stronger than our parts. In joining, we share the synergy of the larger whole. Each part works very hard, but as a group, we work together sharing resources and the colony itself. We are a living multicellular creature growing larger and larger everyday.

As in some termite colonies where the whole is as large as 40-feet high with a pile of sand weighing over 11,750 tons, the termitary or colony is a magnificent stronghold with no end. The colony of parts works daily to provide the best living conditions for the whole.

Xavier and I, Raftwet Jewell work diligently as your leaders of THE A LIST!. We have provided a colony or group in which you have free reign to implement your own vision while adding strength to the group. We have turned to amalgamation... becoming one complex group on the grid despite the waning economy. We will continue to morph and adopt as the colony grows. We learn our lessons from you.