Interdependence exists in many ways!

The piece about our roles and the conflicting value systems was written to make sure that all of us understand the nature of interdependence. I felt it was easy to relate to oneself rather than to something external. The essence of the past writings is summarized below:

• We are one individual whole. One human being. Complete and Full
• Though we play different roles which are spatially and chronologically separated all these roles originate from the same Human Being. The seat of all roles is within us.
• The varied value systems that we use to operate in various roles create conflict, confusion and frustration in us and cause stress to us.

An alternative to the above view is the "Interdependent View" or more succintly "Structural View" of our value system. The following three premises make this view clear.

• All the values that we use are within us. That is values exist within us prior to actions that are guided by these values.
• All roles are within us. That is roles are internalized and the outcomes desired by each role are atleast broadly clear to us at all times.
• In any given context we connect values to roles depending on the outcomes desired by us from the role. That is, we make decisions as to which values should guide our actions in a given role, if a desired outcome is to be achieved.

From the three premises given above, it becomes easy for us now to visualize the fact that there is a "Value Matrix" within us which has to be mapped with the "Role Matrix" using a "Mapping Process" which must result in a "Desired Outcome Matrix". This conception of the value-role mapping system gives us a clearer and a more quantifiable framework which is amenable to measurement and manipulation both for research purposes and for daily life purposes.

Well! If you care, there are Mathematical tools that we can use to formulate the above hypothesis formally and test it. But I am not going into that Mathematical detail here. I feel it would not be very appreciative.

The idea behind this post is to show the varied ways in which Interdependence exists. It exists everywhere. It shows itself everywhere. Everthing in the world that comes into existence is a "structure". Everything in the world can be expressed as a combination of two or more things, which are combined "in a specified way" using a "specific process". The things, the processes and the "ways of combination" are all a part of the "structure" of the thing being observed.

Consider "Films" for instance. There is the "Author" who has an "Idea" to communicate to an "Audience" who might have an "Interest" in the "Idea". He/she "Makes a film" to convey his/her "Idea" to the "Audience". The "Audience" may "Evaluate" and/or "Think" and/or "Critique" the "Idea" after viewing the film. Kindly take a look at all the items which are in quotes. You can classify each Item as an "Element/Thing" or a "Process" or an "Outcome". Thus, the entertainment delivered through films can be treated as a "Structure". As said above such a view gives us scope to understand "film making" in a different way and gives us to develop frameworks that are amenable to quantifiable measurements, either for research or for personal use.

You are now free to think of anything that is NOT a structure.

Roles and Values - The conflict!!

When we treat each role as separate, we tend to create separate value systems that would help us be operative in those roles. This is aided by the fact that each role that we execute operates in a different environment, or atleast that is what we are forced to think.

So, we will have a separate value system working at the place of work and have a different value system that guides our actions when at home or doing shopping. A lot of conflict occurs within the human being when different value systems are at work. The result! Confusion, Frustration, Anger and the feeling of being torn between roles. Most of us would like to run away from our work, from the people we assume we love, from homes, from responsibilities and from our own selves.

The root of the present day "stress" lies herein. We tend to ignore the fact that this self created complex value conflict in our roles is the most complex thing that the mind can ever handle. If we carefully take a look at this issue, we can easily understand that the complexity comes in because of our view that our roles are separate and separate value systems are needed to respond to circumstances that each of our role faces.

Because of the spatial and chronological separation of our roles, we tend to assume that the values operate independently of each other. But as said earlier, the roles are rooted in us as a human being. I as a human being am the originator of all the roles that I assume in my life and at the end of the day all the values that I might use to respond to different circumstances originate in me. The instance we realize this truth, the issues that we face will start untangling.