Retaining Solidarity

In his book "Les Exclus," or "The Outsiders," Rene Lenoir talks about young North American Indian children in Canada. He describes a group of twenty children to whom someone had offered a prize for the first one who could answer the question, 'What is the capital of France?' They got together to exchange ideas, and then shouted out in unison, 'Paris!' Why did they do that? Because they knew that alone there was only a one in twenty chance of winning. They also knew that the person who won the prize would somehow no longer be part of the community; he would be above them all. In our rich societies, many have won the prize at the expense of losing the sense of community and solidarity. In poorer countries, they have not won the prize, but they have often managed to retain the sense of solidarity.
- Jean Vanier, Our Journey Home, p. 178