All men by divine fiat are social creatures.
What it means to be a human being is found only in the expression of the
interaction of at least two people. Although a person has individuality, he
has his identity only in the light of another person. He actually comes to
know and to understand himself as he see himself reflected in the lives of
other people.
As beholding himself in a mirror, he comes to know himself from what he
sees. The reflections that come back to him from the people with whom he is
interacting is the sole basis for his sense of identity. This fact alone
inseparably ties an individual to the need of others.
Like the musical note that stands alone, the melodious medley of life is
non-existence in the acts of an individual. For an individual to experience
the good life he must enter into a strain or series of harmonious
interaction with others sharing the same moment of time. The individual
makes music only when he is placed in relationships with others.
Furthermore, changing the particular frequency of an individual musical note
standing alone matters little. Although the pitch of the note changes, it
still remains a musical note with only a higher or lower sound. Changing the
frequency of that musical note as it stands in relation to other musical
notes, however, can move the sound from harmony to disharmony or from mere
noise to the sound of music. It is the relationship of the notes that makes
the melodious music.
So it is in living life. It matters little if an individual standing alone
changes anything or everything about himself. As he moves in and out of
relationships, however, the essence of life is drastically altered. The good
life (or the bad life) is measured only by the interaction between
individuals.
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