In Search of Humanity: A 360° Perspective
Humanity’s next state is rising above ourselves for the sake of our common unity. ~ Anonymous
Being human is given. But keeping our humanity is a choice. It’s not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about US. It’s about serving others and finding ourselves along the way. It’s about stepping back before we charge forward with whatever comes next — taking a momentary breath to stop, reset, and focus on how we can experience a more positively connected universe. Historians will look back on this pause and this pivot with a critical perspective.
Success for humanity will be linked to whether we were able to be more empathetic, more effective communicators and more willing collaborators. How we choose to operate and cooperate.
Success will be measured by whether we have done significantly more good and a whole lot less harm to the world we depend on and each other. Perhaps it all begins and ends by reclaiming our humanity?
Permission Granted | Notice Given
The world didn’t give you permission to be here — but you didn’t ask for permission, either. Some of us are still asking for permission when we should just be giving the world notice. Notice that we are at a crossroads of a whole new chapter for humanity. A marker in history where the opportunity exists to come together and reimagine how to to build a better future. An opportunity to be a part of creating a brighter future for those who follow, where the connected human experience is well-balanced between the best of humanity combined with the power of technology and science to transform how we live for the better. It’s time for the word, deed, and spirit behind 360° nation.
It’s Time for More
We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life will be violent and all will be lost.
~Charles Chaplin
Right now, it feels like a moment in history where choices made will have a ripple effect for generations to come. Whether you’re a partner, friend, parent, leader, teacher, politician, or a combination thereof, we are called to show up and do more good to help fuel a better version of the world we live in. At the same time, we need to ask for more from each person in our lives and in our relationships to make the world spin more smoothly. We need more from everyone who leads and is in a position of influence. Understand that it’s not about you, it’s about caring for the people you serve and more responsibly stewarding the precious resources in our care.
More Authenticity To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect — and vulnerable. We must believe that we are worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. We must be open, honest, and direct in the here-and-now.
More Acceptance Diversity is humanity’s greatest defense against extinction. It represents one of our greatest opportunities to address the biggest challenges facing the world today. Let’s work together and embrace the strengths of our differences to build a fairer, safer, more prosperous future.
More Activism A connected, purpose-driven community on a mission focused on positive change, no matter the issue, has proven time and time again that when passionate people work together they bring back the light where darkness temporarily has taken hold, and together they bend the arc of history back toward the good.
More Citizenship As citizens, history just doesn’t happen to us, we make history together. Our shared values guide our actions and our choices, and they in turn shape our character, which in turn shapes history. It’s time to dust off our founding principles and celebrate, elevate or refresh them. Imagine if we all use the power of our voice by voting and the value of our time volunteering devoted to a cause for good.
More Compassion As we are bombarded with the sensationalism of every slight eventuality, the spew of pontificating pundits, and the celebration of violence as entertainment, we must show and demonstrate more care and concern for the suffering and misfortunes of those who are impacted by crisis.
More Emotional Intelligence We must be deeply and sincerely emotionally intelligent, starting with an ongoing commitment to developing self-knowledge. Have the bravery and strength to take a good, hard look at yourself and understand more about the roots of your core thoughts, mindsets, values, and behaviors. And examine in a much more intimate way than ever before just how your past has shaped you. When you commit to growing in your self-knowledge, with eyes wide open, your entire approach to your life and relationships will transform.
More Empathy Let’s develop the ability for humans to understand, share, and acknowledge how others are feeling and understand how our words and actions impact others and let’s open the door wide and build more togetherness. Let’s design a class for empathy that’s taught in every classroom, every academy, every corporate and government training agenda.
More Gratitude Cultivating gratitude matters. We affirm that there are good things in the world, gifts, and benefits we’ve received. When we look at life as a whole, gratitude encourages us to identify some amount of goodness in our life. We recognize the sources of this goodness as being outside of ourselves. We can appreciate positive traits in ourselves, but I true gratitude involves a humble dependence on others: We acknowledge that other people — or even higher powers, if you’re of a spiritual mindset — gave us many gifts, big and small, to help us achieve the goodness in our lives.
More Humility Imagine if we all put the needs of others first, talked about ourselves and our needs less. A keen sense of humility is vital to great because it authenticates a person’s humanity. We are all human, and therefore, all flawed and vulnerable in our own unique ways. Great leaders have a depth of understanding, garnered from their experience, as to where their inherent strengths and weakness lie. This type of self-awareness is paramount to the development of humility. Being self-revealing is what brings people into connection. It is what makes people feel safe and accepted, and it is the part of each person that is open to guidance, coaching, and self-improvement.
More Love (Understanding) Imagine a world where more people chose understanding and truth rather than reaction and conflict. But ultimately imagining it is not enough; it’s a good start, but we need to act. We need to live and engage in life from our hearts. Understanding creates a mental shift enabling us to replace reactive emotions and disconnection with compassion and connection. Understanding at its deepest level is just like love — an unconditional understanding of another’s humanness. We don’t have to know their story, but we can appreciate they’re going through the human experience, just like us.
More Respect Ask yourself, “How am I showing up today, and do I like who I am and what I’m modeling as my core values and behaviors? Eliminating active disrespect — such as rude, insulting, or devaluing words or behaviors — doesn’t create respect. Respect is an action: we show respect, we act respectfully, we speak with respect. The absence of disrespect doesn’t have the same positive impact in resolving disagreement, conflict, or tension as does the presence of respect.
More Trust Trustworthiness has two components–doing the right things and doing things right. It’s the foundation of respect. Tell the truth, be open and thoughtful, and have the courage to do the right thing even when it’s not easy.
In a gentle way, you can shake the world.
~Mahatma Gandhi
What More Can We Do?
Help us help you build the foundation for a better version of humanity. What more “bricks” would you put in place as together we craft our road together?
