Are we becoming more self-absorbed?
Is instant gratification to blame?
I created this model over the weekend whilst reflecting on the current global happenings. I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I was reflecting on cause and effect and the individual and collective.
Then on Sunday night as I was scrolling through LinkedIn, I came across two posts that caught my attention. Two posts relevant to my model above.
One by Adam Grant, psychologist and author. His posts resonate with me.
This week’s quote by Adam is, ‘Ask people for feedback, and they sometimes tell you what you want to hear. Ask them about blind spots, and they’re more likely to tell you what you need to hear. Gains in self-awareness often begin with the question: What do other people know about me that I might not realise?’
The other quote is by Margaret Mead from the Presencing Institute,
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
They triggered the relevance of my model. Like any two by two matrix, the aim is to move to the top right quadrant.
Accountability
The model captures my mood and my wish for the future. However, it raises more questions than I have answers for but that is where Adam Grant and Margaret Mead come in.
1. How do we become less self-absorbed? Would knowing our blind spots help?
2. With the collective, how can we come together and forge forward without groupthink?
3. Is our need for instant gratification causing the latest spike in infections?
4. And the most important question, how do we collectively head to accountability?
With the current rise in global infections, we may need to dig deeper to work through the constraints to flatten the curve. Short-term sacrifices for long-term benefits.
The human need for autonomy of choice is a deeply ingrained trait. We fought and still fight for freedom of choice, speech, movement, freedom from injustice, the list goes on.
Is this, in combination with instant gratification making for a lethal mix?
I write this brief post to stimulate thought rather than suggest a solution.
I shall conclude by saying that it is not chance that brought me to Adam and Margaret’s posts. I was reflecting on using accountability to move forward for the collective good. I now have a potential way forward by putting into practice the two concepts.
Though I have been responsible and accountable for myself and my immediate community, I know I can do more.
The buck stops with me and you. To quote a public service announcement being broadcasted currently in Malaysia, ‘we are front liners too!’. This is on point.
And to end with a quote from Viktor Frankl,
‘when we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves’!
