We often hear phrases like “he’s a self-made man”, “people are selfish by nature,” or “all living beings compete amongst themselves for resources and survival”. These clichés have little to do with reality.

It is true that competition exists in nature and in societies, but far more frequently—and in a way that is far more critical to the survival of life as a whole—there are intricate relationships of mutual dependence and cooperation without which we could not exist. Life is a symbiotic and cooperative union that enables the beings that form partnerships to thrive.

YAYO HERRERO is an anthropologist, social educator and agricultural engineer; collaborating professor of the UNESCO Chair of Environmental Education and Sustainable Development (UNED) and co-author of more than ten books related with social and political ecology.

LUIS DEMANO is an illustrator with a long career that includes not only publications, but also works for the press, institutional posters and advertising. His books have been published in more than a dozen languages.