The power of trust compels you
The world today seems like a great big, dangerous, place.
Everywhere we turn, it seems like everything is changing around us and we are being forced to question many long-held implicit assumptions about all aspects of life. Political parties, the social contract, the monetary system, the role of government, nations and corporations — these traditional, slow-moving, massive structures are all in flux.
This is happening in no small part due to technology, and mobile phones. Persistent connectivity brought about by mobile technology has created a new (social) order of growth and activity while fragmenting careers, companies, countries, and causes. It has also built up movements, media, and messages in a recombinant fashion. You never know what will emerge out of the primordial stew, but you are almost assured that whatever form it takes will be different than what we started with.
One thing is for certain these days — small is (powerful and) beautiful. The technology in our pocket imbues us with superpowers that extend our time, memory, recollection, and reach. Our ability to run a business, be an employee or manage our personal lives is subsequently made easier.
This empowerment comes with a cost — and a reduction in power somewhere else in the system. Work itself is changing as a result. Companies continue to offload various sets of activities to consultants and service providers while decreasing total headcount for operations.
The term ‘atomization’ is occasionally used to describe this transformation. A 1987 article from Inc Magazine entitled ‘The Atomization of America’ shows us that this concept is not new:
All of these factors are working together to facilitate and encourage atomization, and atomization is affecting all of us. Examples abound. If you work for someone else, you feel it. The days of the one-company career with the gold watch at retirement are virtually gone. One out of five American workers leaves his or her present job each year. To stay alive economically, you must be prepared to switch careers and employers often. Atomization means much less personal security and a constant need to stay current in what you do.
This article could be written today.
Atomization is inevitable and we’ve known it for a long time. As they say in horror movies — the call has been coming from inside the house.
If atomization is inevitable and growing, then we are required to find trusted partners to help.
We’re less insulated and more exposed to the world — so we still need to band together to try and solve problems.
That is why partnerships are key to survival in this new environment we live in, and I think we may need to re-learn the power of these creative partnerships. This isn’t a new concept.
Going back to our original assumption about the severity of our current situation: how badly off are we?
If the data is to be believed, we’re okay.
A post from last year via Our World In Data (the web publication that shows how global living conditions are changing) entitled “The short history of global living conditions and why it matters that we know it.” by Max Roser says:
A recent survey asked “All things considered, do you think the world is getting better or worse, or neither getting better nor worse?”. In Sweden 10% thought things are getting better, in the US they were only 6%, and in Germany only 4%. Very few people think that the world is getting better.
What is the evidence that we need to consider when answering this question? The question is about how the world has changed and so we must take a historical perspective. And the question is about the world as a whole and the answer must therefore consider everybody. The answer must consider the history of global living conditions — a history of everyone.
I would urge you to read the piece to build your own knowledge and context, and make a donation if you care about “data and research on the powerful, long-run trends reshaping our world: Through interactive data visualizations we show how the world has changed; by summarizing the scientific literature we explain why.”
The successful transformation of our living conditions was possible only because of collaboration. Such a transformation would be impossible for a single person to accomplish. It is our collective brains and our collaborative effort that are needed for such an improvement.
Solving problems — big problems — is always a collaborative undertaking.
We need friends, and partners, collaborators, cofounders and friends.
We’re better together. We’re stronger together.
Fear not.
The Power of Trust compels you.
