Imagine you are starting to learn a new skill or make a career pivot at an age where many people consider the move rather irrational. You have realised that you no longer enjoy the work you have been doing for close to a decade and want to go back to college. How would people around you react to this decision? Will they support you? Or will they criticize you for putting your career in jeopardy? Lastly, what would you prefer for yourself – people who root for you at every step of the way or those who find faults in your decisions?
A world where every person, regardless of their background, circumstances, talent, is supported and championed by others is the world where everyone can thrive to become a better version of themselves. A world where communities are built on mutual encouragement, and successes are shared as collective victories. Today, we are living in an age of division, conflict, polarization, and this makes it even more important to strive for creating a world where everyone roots for each other. This is because through collaboration, empathy, and the celebration of collective growth, humanity can achieve extraordinary progress.
Why do rooting for each other matters?
Yes, it is a gesture of goodwill. It shows that we are part of a shared humanity, and we appreciate each other. But it is also much more than that – it is the foundation of a thriving society. When individuals and societies support each other, they create a domino effect of positivity, inclusion and growth. It has the power to foster collective progress. For instance, mentorship in professional settings enables individuals to grow, innovate, and contribute to the betterment of their fields. Studies show that organizations with strong mentorship programs have higher employee retention and satisfaction rates.
At the same time, an empathetic society will look at its marginalized population and will root for their success. It can be achieved through advocacy, empowerment, sharing of resources, etc. And lastly, this can also go a long way in building strong social bonds, which means people will be more likely to reciprocate and help each other, rather than always trying to one-up themselves. Acts of encouragement build resilience against division and discontent, fostering a sense of belonging that benefits mental health and well-being.
Social movements exemplifying support for each other
There are initiatives around the world, including in India, which exemplify what rooting for each other looks like. One of the biggest examples is the global climate movement where several organizations, individuals, student groups, etc., are coming together to create a meaningful change. Many of these stakeholders have a strong voice because they come from affluent social groups and countries, while the communities that are most affected by climate change are the marginalized ones.
Similarly, there are various social entrepreneurship initiatives like India’s SEWA (Self-Employed Women’s Association) that focus on rooting for underserved communities by providing resources, opportunities, and platforms for growth. Then, in the digital world, we see support for each other in the form of open-source collaboration and sharing of resources to make education accessible to everyone. These are just a few of the many initiatives that are going around the world on an everyday basis. It can be as small as someone making a change at a hyperlocal level by helping another person, like providing free tuition to someone in need – or it can be as big as countries coming together to support those who are living in conflict zones.
Kerala’s Kudumbashree Mission is a wonderful example of this. It is a community-led poverty eradication initiative where self-help groups and women in rural areas collaborate to create livelihoods, access microfinance, and advocate for social change. Their success has inspired similar initiatives globally. In the field of education, we can look at what Finland is doing. Finland’s education system emphasizes collaboration over competition, with teachers, parents, and policymakers working collectively to ensure every child succeeds. The emphasis on inclusive classrooms and tailored support helps students thrive academically and emotionally.
Looking at competition in a new way
While we live in society where it is easy to see each other as a competitor, whether it is in a school classroom or job market – we must also understand the benefits of rooting for each other. It is true that healthy competition drives excellence and innovation, but excessive obsession with competition can also easily take a negative shape where others’ failures are also celebrated. Instead, we must create a world where excelling in one’s domain is followed by helping those who are left behind. We can foster a sense of cooperation within competitive environments so that it also continues to motivate everyone to do better, while also pushing them to help others. In fact, the act of helping others should be embedded in the culture of competition itself as a quality that sets you apart from others.
Thus, supporting each other can create a multiple ripple effect which can be beneficial at an extraordinary scale. It can lead to economic growth because societies that support marginalized groups experience higher economic productivity. A World Bank report states that closing gender gaps in the workforce could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. It can also lead to social stability, eliminating conflict and resistance. Cooperation can begin at a local level and reach a global level. We saw an example of this during the Covid pandemic where people not only helped their neighbours but also contributed to helping those living in countries that were worse affected. At the same time, countries also extended support to each other by sharing vaccines, resources, knowledge, etc.
Rooting for one another is not just an idealistic notion—it is a practical approach to building stronger, more resilient societies. By fostering a culture of collaboration and empathy, we can address systemic challenges, uplift marginalized voices, and create opportunities for all. At the global stage, we have institutions like the United Nations, World Health Organization, and many more that continue to serve this initiative of global cooperation and rooting for each other.
Smile Foundation exemplifies the spirit of rooting for one another through its wide-ranging welfare initiatives in education, healthcare, and women’s empowerment across India. By prioritizing access to quality education, the foundation enables children from underserved communities to build brighter futures, breaking generational cycles of poverty. Through Smile on Wheels, its mobile healthcare initiative, the organization ensures that marginalized populations receive essential medical care, reinforcing the idea that no one should be left behind due to their circumstances.
Additionally, Smile Foundation’s livelihood and women’s empowerment programs equip individuals with vocational skills, financial literacy, and entrepreneurial support, fostering economic independence and self-reliance. These initiatives align closely with the blog’s vision of a society where success is not a solitary journey but a shared, collective achievement. By empowering communities with resources and opportunities, the Smile Foundation is actively contributing to a culture of encouragement, resilience, and sustainable growth—a world where individuals and communities lift each other up, rather than compete to pull one another down.
