The Whole Is Greater than the Sum of the Parts
Most of us are probably familiar with the thought attributed to Aristotle, “The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.” If I were to ask you what comes to mind as an example of this idea, what would your answer be? Giving this some thought myself, I came up with two things—a group of musicians and thriving relationships.
I love blues and jazz, and to watch and listen to a group of musicians as they complement and riff off of each other is a great delight. If I listened to each of them play as soloists, I would enjoy that, too, I’m sure—but not as much as hearing them play together. The whole becomes something more significant than the sum of the parts in music.
Relationships are like that, too. When two or more people compliment and bring out the best in each other, once again, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. This applies to all kinds of relationships, including marriages, friendships, families, neighbors, communities, and teams of people working together.
This week I was mesmerized by the touchdown of NASA’s latest landing rover on the planet Mars. This led me to do a little bit of research to learn both about this mission's focus and its history. I discovered a photo on the NASA website of the team of people that worked together to make it possible to land a car-size landing rover on a specific location on Mars, some 293 million miles away from Earth. The picture contained what I estimated to be well over a thousand people who joined their individual skills and talents together to accomplish this remarkable feat—a very present moment example of how the whole is indeed greater than the sum of the parts.
Working well with others, whether in music, space exploration, or everyday life, takes commitment, communication, dedication, and perseverance. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the rover that landed on Mars this week is named Perseverance.
When the rover touched down on Mars, it was announced on Twitter with the words, “Perseverance will get you anywhere.” Yes, it will. And so will working well with others, as we do our part to invest and build stronger relationships in our lives, where the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.
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