Words

Have you ever considered the codependent nature of things? There are objects in our lives we use every day that share a relationship that is interdependent or mutually dependent. One cannot stand alone and be effective or as effective without the other.

Consider the rod and reel? What is the reel without the rod? It is just cylinder a with nylon twine wrapped around it…useless without the rod (unless you want a paper weight). Without the two combined there will be no fish for dinner.


What about the camera and the lens? The camera without the lens is just a box with a view finder and a couple of fancy buttons incapable of capturing that special moment in time. And the lens…nothing but a chunk of glass (again a possible paper weight).

Or the pen and the ink: no ink no words on the paper. No thoughts or beautiful prose…just an empty cylinder and some messy blue or black stuff you can’t get out of your clothes.

So could you say these items are mutually needy? That in order to achieve the nature of their intended purpose they cannot stand alone…two parts that combine to create a whole? The relationship is positive…even symbiotic.


Is being codependent a bad thing? I guess it depends on what you are talking about: where objects are concerned, probably not. We can always find an alternative use for an object. Can you ever have enough paperweights?


However, codependent is a word that is often used to describe dysfunctional relationships among people who are dependent on one another to the detriment of themselves. Often there is no alternative for these people…even when you separate them you can’t use the lesser of the parts as a paperweight.