For this weeks companion topic, I decided to focus on survival and how companions have helped us overcome dire circumstances to make progress.
During the ancient Egyptian civilization period, men and women worked together as companions to divide roles of hunting, farming, cooking, trading items with merchants, fortifying hunting equipment and making medicine. It was not a one person job. People formed alliances with their companions for sheer existence purposes.
During World War, volunteers of men who served in the war as well as young men who faced conscription experienced physical, mental and emotional trauma along with their companions. According to the British Library article about 'How did soldiers cope with war', companionship helped soldiers limit the effects of alienation and loneliness to build a sense of belonging and trust (Shaw, 2014).
I personally find that the word companionship is thrown around very loosely today. Gone are the days where companions worked together to build a strong sense of camaraderie. Some people may treat companions as disposable because in some parts of the world, technology has helped us switch reliance from humans to machines.
On the other hand, I will also argue that a strong sense of companionship still exists today as members help each other overcome addictions through support groups for example, where strangers bond and become companions.
Finally, I want to bring your attention to a current and ongoing natural disaster happening in British Columbia, Canada where blazing wildfires are displacing citizens. A friend of mine and her neighbours who reside there worked as a team to find new accommodations and start their own farm for eggs, fruit and vegetables to increase self reliance. This demonstrates a sense of companionship where companions came together in the face of crisis.
