CAMARADERIE
“Blood is thicker than water” is a proverb that I’m pretty certain you’ve heard of or come across before in your lives. It implies that the bond and relationship with kin are of more importance than those with friends.
While I do not discount that the relationship with family members is something special that should be cherished – family is family after all – the modern adaptation and usage of the proverb has altered its original meaning. The intended message was lost in translation somewhere along the line.
It originally reads: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.” Well then, that changes the narrative, doesn’t it? Taking a step back to decipher the message, this means that society has gotten it backwards all this time.
Taken into context, the original proverb suggests that familial relationships – which we have no power or choice over – are not as strong as the bonds we forge through covenants, or rather, relationships that are born out of circumstances.
What am I getting at, you ask? Allow me to try and explain.
Regardless of who we are, we have no input on who we are related to. Even if you’re adopted, your biological parents will remain your biological parents, traceable through forensics.
The relationships that we have a certain degree of control over are the ones we choose for ourselves, be it with our friends or colleagues – and yes, they can be one and the same.
We spend a majority of our waking hours toiling away at work, which means the people we see the most are not our family but our colleagues. And it is the relationships with them that can vastly change your outlook and prospects in life.
Think about it, if you were to loathe the people you work with, you would be miserable every single day of work, which could lead to depression and a diminishing drive to succeed. On the flip side, if you foster good relationships with your colleagues, work becomes less tedious, less of a drag, less miserable.
How does this relate to us in the PR industry?
We work in teams to tackle projects and events. Throughout the project or event, the team will be under duress to execute as best as possible, with little room for mishaps. We lean on one another and trust our team members to pull their weight, else we risk sinking in stress and exhaustion. In essence, we rely on one another and are prepared to put in the hours to lend a hand and share in the workload.
It is this sense of camaraderie, a bond forged through trial by fire – the blood of the covenant – that is said to be more stronger, and to an extent more important, than that with family.
Darren
August 2017