You can't do it ALONE

Man is referred to in some circles as a social animal. The reason for this is that an individual is meant to live in a society or community where interaction with others takes place. The level or extent of interaction with others usually varies giving rise to different classes or groups of people with this criteria. There are those who love always being in the company of others while there are others who prefer to limit their interaction to a small circle of loved ones or confidants.

To the extreme of the spectrum there are individuals who adopt a life of solitude wherein they prefer being in the company of only one individual i.e. themselves. These class of people are prone to depression and probably suicidal tendencies due to the absence of a support system in times of stress or challenges. There is indeed no benefit in being a loner as it is antithetical to human nature. Having someone to lean on or talk to when one is going through trying times can indeed work wonders.

Imagine the thought of having to carry a huge burden all alone , then suddenly a helping hand emerges to help with the burden thus relieving some of the pressure the weight was exerting on you. That is the effect a helping hand or a listening ear can have in times of crisis or challenges . Little wonder it is said that :

a problem shared is a problem half solved.

That is if shared with the 'right' person(s) though, as some individuals have a nasty character of compounding or making problems worse rather than helping to solve them.

That's why there's this general advice always that 'you cannot do it alone', indicating that best results are often achieved when executing a task or facing challenges if we seek assistance or help from others in an appropriate or legitimate manner. You might be wondering why I put a clause or condition of getting assistance via an appropriate or legitimate manner. The reason for this is that people have hidden under the guise of not being able to do it alone to perpetuate unlawful acts or illegality.

I will cite a personal experience. When I sat for the high school leaving certificate examination sometime in 2001 as a private candidate I encountered first hand how the statement 'You cannot do it alone' can indeed be abused. The examination centre where I was assigned by the examination council to write my examination had some unsavoury characters posted there who ought to have been the eyes and ears of the council ensuring that no acts of malpractice or impropriety took place.

To my utter dismay as well as a few other candidates these persons who were the invigilators turned out to be wolves in the clothing of sheep. Their routine as any examination commenced was to walk around the examination hall seeking financial inducement;'offering' as they chose to call it from willing candidates all the while chanting 'You cannot do it alone ' perhaps in an attempt to demoralise and cajole those of us who had refused to participate in giving any 'offering' of sorts.

Once they were done with collecting their offerings, they would take note of those who had paid. Once the examinations commenced and questions were distributed, it was open day for those who were deemed loyal via their offerings. The supposed invigilators would allow their loyalists have access to whatever materials they needed from their bags such as textbooks or hand outs to answer the questions. What was supposed to be an examination where candidates answered questions from memory was turned into nothing short of an open book test where the examination umpire was aiding and abetting the dastardly act.

Those of us who refused to be loyal watched with shock as the despicable drama unfolded. Alas there was nothing we could do other than to answer the questions we could and turn in our answer sheets often times while being mocked by the invigilators and their accomplices. Our biggest fear was that our results should not be withheld because of the misdemeanor of the law breakers at the centre. Thankfully these fears were allayed when several months later the results were released.

Anytime I recall this event , I wish I could travel back in time to prevent the corrupt invigilators and their accomplices from successfully perpetrating examination malpractice while abusing the virtuous concept of one not being able to do it alone.