News

Preface from the Essence of Interdependence

By Al Condeluci, Ph.D.

Growing up as a young boy in Pittsburgh, I was fortunate to have a family compound as a base of experience. In fact, my start in life was in more than a compound; it was on the family “hill”. From the time my dad and Uncle Sam bought the “hill” in 1941, it has served as home for the Condeluci family.

Now this idea of ethnic families banding together is not unique, especially in the first half of the 20th century. Many Eastern Europeans held each other’s hands as they made their way in America. Those that were not blood relatives found their kinsmen and bonded together in ethnic communities. Even in the more multicultural cities, people of similar situations found each other in settlement houses, fraternal associations or through their churches. These homogeneous bonds were vital to launching the immigrants into the mainstream of American culture. As the hurdle of their ethnic uniqueness was jumped, people began to find their similarity and become more generically blended into culture.

What is unique for me however, is that the Condeluci family has worked hard to maintain the bond of ‘family’. As other big families began to drift, the Condeluci family nurtured the unique connections on our hill. Rather than getting smaller, we have gotten bigger with some 15 families who now live on the hill. This blend of homogeneity on the hill, with the greater heterogeneity of the surrounding community has been an excellent vantage point to think about culture, community, and interdependence.

In fact, the notions of similarity and difference are all around us. Even within the context of a large family, there are significant differences between the Condeluci’s. When we gather for family events, I am amazed at the varying perspectives we have on politics, education, and other public discourses. I remember a hotly debated dialogue with my Uncle Ron, who was a World War II veteran, on the notion of flag-burning. We disagreed on the First Amendment, but we did agree on our cultural rituals. Indeed, that same evening of the debate, Uncle Ron and I danced the “Tarantella” together.

The point of this all is that although we have our differences, when we find our similarities the differences can be put into place and we can push our relationships to the next level. Quite simply, similarities can override differences. My similarity with Uncle Ron in cultural traditions overshadowed the different political perspectives we had on free speech.

In a basic way, that is the nature of this booklet, “The Essence of Interdependences”. It is an abbreviation of the textbook “Interdependence: the Route to Community” (Condeluci, 1991, 1995) and is not meant to replace this book, but to compliment. If you are intrigued by the notations in this booklet, you will want to get a copy of Interdependence. Publication information can be found in the information about our agency.

Along with the agenda of promoting the concept of Interdependence, this booklet also serves as a vehicle to share more information on things we are doing in Pittsburgh that may be of interest to others. This information as well, can be garnered by sending back the tear-away found at the beginning of the booklet.

To shift human service gears into building community is difficult work. Our organization, indeed our own mental models, are so deeply set in a medical model that to move in a different direction may seem next to impossible. Funding sources, referral sources, and diagnostic or specific public service systems have been doing business in the Medical Model format for so many years that macroscopic, community actions come far and few between.

Still we must try. We must understand that the vision we might hold verses the current reality creates an ongoing “tension” that is to be respected. This “tension” can make life uncomfortable, but it happens for a reason. By looking at new approaches, directions, or visions can liberate us as we attempt to find an approach to community that can make a difference.

View a Printer-Friendly Version

E-mail to a Friend