You live, I live
The new philosophical paradigm
As the initial lockdown and shock of the pandemic loosen, one of the emerging sentiments is that business, and life, cannot go back to how it was pre-Covid. In one of the many conversations we had with various people about this moment, Kelly Brewer, founder of Engaging Tech, described it as “a pause that asks us for a different kind of self-responsibility”, one that asks us to look at our own role in creating the anxious rat race that has come to define our lives. Brewer also noted that this moment is forcing us to go outside all our regular rules like never before”.
The world has changed and is continuing to change. The economic and political fallout of the initial wave of the pandemic is just starting to become apparent. The global emergence of anti-racist protests and renewed concerns about the environment as a result of the stark changes before and after the lockdown, bring new challenges and opportunities.
Yet, despite all the changes that have occurred in this year alone, and all the changes that are still to come, there is this strong sense that we haven’t understood what the nature of this change is. The same cycles of fear, recrimination and violence remain. We still feel the need to struggle and fight for what we want against others. So how can we take “a different kind of self-responsibility” and “go outside all our regular rules”, as Brewer said?
The transformation that we need to make is not simply from one economic system to another, or one mode of work to a different one. In order to escape the underlying fear and violence that shapes all of our institutions, beliefs and structures we might need a new starting point. In our research, we were stuck by one particular assessment of this time- the Italian influencer and mentor Patrizio Paoletti, who called for a new paradigm. He defines this as the move from “You die, so I live” (Mors tua, vita mea) to “You live, I live” (Vita tua, vita mea). This is what Paoletti refers to as philosophical paradigm shift, that then impacts the rest of our lives.
You die, so I live
Though the expression “you die, so I live” may seem very strong, it could be seen as the basis for many of our actions and as a push towards survival. If we have understood the meaning of this paradigm, then it presents the world as a hostile place that requires us to fight to obtain limited resources, including, potentially, even love.
It is interesting to think if this paradigm is underlying much of our economic, political and cultural activity. From the rational individual maximizing their own self-interest at the core of neoliberal capitalism to concerns about immigrants and foreigners, the fear and isolation that these behaviours create ultimately shapes so many other paradigms. In a sense, whether we work from home, or whether current economic systems remain as they are is not as important as where we start from. The next paradigm can emerge accidentally from the uncertainty of this moment is likely to follow the same cycles as before. As always, there will be great changes and, eventually, a new form will take its place. What does not change perhaps is the core paradigm of conflict over limited resources.
You live, I live
Instead, what Paoletti proposes is to undertake a conscious effort to rewire our thinking. This is, as he describes, transforming how we live life from stark survival to a life of fulfillment. This fulfillment is not just material, such as having enough to eat or the ability to buy whatever we want. The fulfillment is internal: emotional, mental, even spiritual, if you like. Living in the paradigm “you live, I live” is a transformative step with a potentially profound effect.
The implications of making the efforts toward this philosophical paradigm shift could be striking. What would our personal and social world be like if we based our relationships around “you live, I live”? What sort of economic and political systems would a paradigm of cooperation and shared responsibility produce? If we were to focus on this paradigm change what other benefits might emerge?
We are all facing the future and therefore the unknown. The question that seems to be at the core of what many people sensing is “how can we have a truly different today and tomorrow?” There is a concern, however, that we do not simply reheat the same old soup (to use a great Italian expression) through repeating the same answers we have always proposed. In our many readings and conversations during the first part of 2020, ‘you live, I live’ is the most radically different starting point we have found. It does not deny survival or scarcity, but it questions whether focusing on mere survival is the best starting point to find truly different answers. We believe there is much more to explore in order to understand the depth of this idea. We therefore look forward to your thoughts and comments.
{This article was co-authored with Padideh Tosti}
