“Humanity is not lost; it is buried beneath fear, greed, and noise. But every time you choose compassion over indifference, empathy over apathy, you bring us one step closer to remembering who we are. The world does not need more wealth or weapons – it needs people willing to be brave enough to care” Babe Reads.
I was reading a recent economic report. The U.S. economy along with most economies around the world are doing really well at this time. That however, is all based on stock markets around the world. Gross Domestic Products (GDPs) everywhere have been soaring. And not surprisingly, globally corporate profits are healthy. And no, this is not humor, it is a real phenomenon. If you go out in the street and ask people if they feel this any of this prosperity flowing down to us all, you’ll get a different conclusion. If you are in the financial lower 80% of the global population, you are probably struggling or worried that any minor catastrophe might wipe out whatever financial cushion you might still have, or perching on the edge of dire poverty, if not already there. And the next 14.99% are watching markets carefully waiting for the shoe to drop.
The monetary wealth divide is as great as it has ever been – the uber-rich are getting stupendously richer, while the rest of us get poorer, and if you are already approaching or in poverty, you don’t see any light at the end of tunnel. And unlike previous recessions there is no indication that it will ever improve again.
When I am asked what will it take to collectively get us to take action for a sustainable future, I think you may now be looking at it. We are fixated on money. But money (just like any political system) is an abstract idea we have been conditioned to believe is a concrete aspect of modern living. Money has power only because of collective belief. Paper money is just paper; digital numbers like their paper counterpart numbers are agreed-upon values with no real meaning. Yet they support artificial structures of security. Human capital is generally not factored into modern spreadsheets as a positive thing, if it is even factored in at all.
I was talking with a grown grandson about the state of the world and he, like many others, only sees a future in which a revolution will issue in a new order. I try to talk about a more spiritual frame to guide us and he cannot fathom the notion that the majority of people would do that – he is convinced humanity is derisively selfish. Well, we could do yet another bloody revolution and then build a new future on the same mindset we currently have to only realize that we created yet another hierarchy that looked exactly like the one previously overthrown.
WE must think for ourselves This involves recognizing how the world currently controls us and how truthful disclosures open up new knowledge. But “knowledge is not a mountain with a summit. It’s an ocean without a shore. Every answer reveals new questions. Every discovery opens new territory. The frontier doesn’t shrink — it expands” Andrew Zhu.
One of the easiest ways to control a person is to keep them preoccupied with survival – this strips away personal meaning. When you have no sense of meaning to guide you, are manipulable. “According to recent psychiatric research (Psychologie), personal life meaning is a biological and psychological necessity. There’s an entire science behind it. When four specific things erode — autonomy (sovereignty), belonging, dignity, and meaning — the structure of a man’s [sic] interior life doesn’t bend gracefully. It collapses” Greta Taubert. It’s not about just surviving, but about thriving together. Until we get that, nothing changes.
To reiterate the basic Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that explains our need to be creative and loved with meaning as a purpose (see link):
- Physiological Needs: Basic biological needs necessary for survival such as food, water and shelter.
- Safety Needs: A sense of safety or capacity to protect one’s self from harm; includes efforts to establish security and predictability.
- Social Needs: Social connection including a sense of acceptance from others, belonging and both romantic and platonic forms of love.
- Esteem Needs: Respect, Confidence, Achievement, Recognition and other forms of Appreciation for self that are virtuous. But we need to be careful here. David Brooks, in his book The Road to Character, contrasts “résumé virtues” (ego-driven achievements) with “eulogy virtues” (soul virtues like kindness and honesty).
- Self-Actualization Needs: The virtual ‘peak’ of individual development and fulfillment of one’s potential – Authenticity; engagement in creative and meaningful work, establishing a personal mission in life and living up to one’s authentic values.
- Creativity and Innovation is an addition from other psychological researches. It’s what really drives us when we can express ourselves. It isn’t just about technology, but about thriving.
“Self-actualization is not a finish line, it is merely the point where new problems stop emerging. Why? Because at the point of self-actualization, you get to CHOOSE your problems. On each layer prior, the problems are external — from problems necessary to survive, the one’s necessary for security, to those created by society and culture. But once you get to self-actualization, you become the architect of your own problems…In his later years, Maslow hypothesized that there was a sixth layer that he called “Self-Transcendence”. Your task is not to try harder, but to get out of your own way. To remove those things that are stunting or stifling your growth and manicure the systems of your life and lifestyle such that they allow you to become who you were meant to be. Do that, and you cannot help but ascend” Julian Frazier.
“Creativity is at the core of what it means to be human. You are creative. You don’t have to be an artist or a writer to be creative. You just have to be human. When you decide to remix two nights of leftovers into street tacos so that your family thinks they are eating something new, you are being creative. The moment you invent a game for your kids to play, you are being creative. Even when you lie to get out of work or to avoid a boring meeting, you are being creative.
You do have enough time to be creative. We all do. Silicon Valley is desperate to convince you otherwise. Silicon Valley billionaires want you to let them help you with your ideas by using their apps. But almost none of our apps help us do things. They do things for us.
We move forward as individuals, societies, and as a species through creativity. Creative people, the weirdos, see the world as it could be and then reverse engineer the way forward in their imaginations. It’s not that technology is bad. The issue is how many of us use technology thoughtlessly [lacking wisdom]. How easily we give up our autonomy and humanity to technology companies that exist to make profits, not to make our lives better.
Creative people aren’t satisfied with what is and are always wondering what could be. Creative people look behind the curtains and think for themselves. If you want to see a better world, you can start by unleashing your creativity, not as a side hustle or productivity hack, but to enjoy your life more” Jason McBride.
“The tragedy is that society (your school, your boss, your government, your family) keeps drumming the genius part out. The problem is that our culture has engaged in a Faustian bargain, in which we trade our genius and artistry for apparent stability… In the social world, originality is a liability. We are trained at school to prioritize conformity. To follow instructions and wait for our turn. To trade our special trait for a seat at the table. For a steady paycheck” Seth Godin.
Tibetan teachings, emphasize that you are stuck in the eight worldly winds – Gain and loss; Pleasure and pain; Praise and blame; Fame and disgrace. These four pairs control most lives – living these dualities without mindfulness keeps you constrained. For example, “Holding on to anger is like poisoning yourself and hoping someone else will die” the Buddha said. You don’t have to claim ownership over every piece of thought that passes through. You are not your thoughts; you are the awareness observing those thoughts. Changing your interpretation creates space to choose what you believe and how you act. You don’t have to believe everything you think,” which mostly derives from your conditioning. Thomas Oppong. Recondition yourself into a new way of thinking.
“The most contrarian thing of all is not to oppose the crowd but to think for yourself” says Peter Thiel. “Thinking, doing or designing a life for yourself takes unstructured time. And idle reflection on what brings out the best in you. Emerson, writing in his popular essay Self-Reliance, said, “insist on yourself; never imitate” Thomas Oppong. Be authentic. Be the change you want to see and inspire others to do the same. “If in doubt, choose Love” Michael Roads. I believe we can do it (see link).
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