We are living in a world where society has prioritised independence to such an extent that many people are now left on their own to manage lives that are increasingly out of control.

As young children, we were taught to be competitive, to be better, faster, stronger and more intelligent than our ‘competitors’ (others) if we were to ‘survive’ and thrive in our commerce-driven consumerist society.

When we become adults we have to ‘compete’ for jobs, be the ‘best’ and have ‘aggressive’ sales strategies to meet sales targets etc., so the language of our society is embedded with a narrative of competitive and (at times) hostile words that have become the norm in our daily communications.

But does being the ‘best’ or being more ‘successful’ than our neighbours make us happier? Does having more money, a bigger house and a fancy car make us happier?

This podcast looks at the issues of independence compared to interdependence and the benefits of interdependent relationships with others.