The spirit of Sing Song sheds light on the dynamic of teamwork in the ACU community. There’s nothing that says working together quite like synchronized dancing and singing a cappella.
It’s good to see that a large number of independent-minded college students muster the discipline required to come together as a whole to create such a massive production.
The current college-aged generation receives a lot of criticism for how individualistic and independent it is, and rightly so. Purchasing meals for one, walking to class with headphones in and the immense focus on competitive resume building definitely supports the idea that students keep more to themselves now and don’t live as communally as generations past.
The pressure to prove one’s worth in society has generated a great need for students to establish a definite line between their success and the accomplishments of others. There is a fight to take credit for that which could look impressive, and often credit is awarded to oneself in an inflated or misleading way.
The thought of being part of a project and contributing heavily to the work done without receiving recognition is a scary concept for many students today. Thus, it’s true, an attitude like that is not as open to the idea of teamwork, of sharing the credit and not keeping tabs on who generated what ideas.
The desire for each student to distinguish himself or herself hurts the dynamic of a group by introducing a priority of competition over collaboration. Being a single gear in a huge machine isn’t nearly as appealing as being the hammer driving in its own peg.
However, in the end, won’t it always be cooler to say that you were a part of the machine that accomplished something great, or will you be happier about that single peg you hammered by yourself?
There is a power in joint effort that the individualistic spirit misses. Groups coming together tend to have more talents, resources and ability than even the most well-rounded individuals.
Although it would have still been fun to sit and watch individuals get onstage and sing alone, it is considerably more entertaining to see what an entire group of students dressed in crazy costumes can come up with together. It is activities like Sing Song and many other opportunities on campus that keep the group dynamic alive and well.
Society may be right in pegging us as a generation that values individualism, but we still maintain some areas where we are able to collaborate effectively to accomplish great things and hopefully that is an attitude that will continue on.
