10 Wishes that Would Radically Change the World in 2015
If I could change the world with a flip of a switch, this would be my “dream list” of how things would be different in 2015.
1. More of us move beyond Winning and Losing, Us versus Them, and Either / Or.
At the core of every single problem in the world, is the underlying misunderstanding that we are different from one another. I wrote a post titled “Moving Beyond Tribalism” that expands upon this concept.
2. We create an economic system which provides a Minimum Level of Housing, Food, and Education (From birth through college or technical level) to each person on the planet.
In the U.S. alone where 20% of children live in poverty, over 35% of families live at the poverty level ($18,000 for a family of four), the ability for this country to take care of all of its citizens is a matter of will not ability. However, this will become not just a moral imperative in terms of taking care of the poor but in the next two decades as automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence takes hold on a mass scale throughout the developed world, this will affect every person. We will need to re-tool all aspects of society in order to cope and evolve to the next stage of humanity – see my post “Meet the Technology that Wants your Job”.
3. More of us in Capitalist and Democratic countries Awake and Accept our own Responsibilities for Making those two Systems Function Effectively for every person.
It’s often said that Capitalism and Democracy are not perfect, but they are the best systems humans have devised so far. No argument. But for each of these two systems to work up to their potential requires the active and enlightened participation of the members within those systems. As an example, only approximately a third of registered voters turned out for the recent U.S. congressional elections. Beyond that, the percentage that actively research and understand the key issues, you can imagine, is dreadfully low. And on the capitalism side, though we have access to endless amounts of information about the quality of products, services, and the companies that provide them, we collectively too often don’t exercise our purchasing decisions to reward the best producers. The critical feedback mechanism of consumer choice back to suppliers is therefore distorted and the goods and services that are the best for us individually and collectively don’t get the support they should. More broadly, we should not get locked into any one system – why not mix and match the best elements from various systems across the globe? Business does this routinely (the adoption of ‘best practice’), the restaurant business calls it fusion cuisine, and high caliber athletes always seek to adopt whatever form of training or style of play that will help them rise to the next level (see my post on how the German World Cup Soccer Team did this last year – Did the German Soccer Team Use Unity Consciousness to Win the World Cup?). We should expect the same amount of flexibility and innovation from our economic and political systems as well (and from ourselves…).
4. Systems Thinking is taught to all K-12 students.
Systems Thinking is the practice of thinking that takes a holistic view of complex events or phenomenon, seemingly caused by myriad of isolated, independent, and usually unpredictable factors or forces (businessdictionary.com). In a highly complex, globally interconnected world, Systems Thinking is essential to be able to “connect the dots”. When we look at only a part of the puzzle and try to figure out the correct solution, we usually make mistakes. As our various “puzzles” become ever more challenging (poverty, climate change, inequality, economic weakness, etc), those that are versed in Systems Thinking will have a far higher likelihood to create meaningful and sustainable solutions. The Waters Foundation is a group that has been slowly bringing Systems Thinking into the K-12 space for 30 years. They also have programs and resources for parents and teachers to introduce Systems Thinking concepts to children on their own. To get a quick overview of Systems Thinking concepts – read: “Systems Thinking: A Means to Understanding Our Complex World” by Linda Booth Sweeney, and take a look at my post – Systems Thinking – The Missing Piece of the Puzzle.
5. Meditation and Mindfulness is taught alongside reading, writing, and arithmetic.
The list of benefits that Meditation provides goes well beyond stress reduction. Though, just achieving that one benefit is enough to recommend everyone take up the practice. However, the list of meditation’s benefits also includes calming the more reactive parts of the brain and allowing the more deliberative and creative parts to take charge. This results in less stress, but also allows us to look for solutions rather than dwell on problems, and to work more collaboratively with others rather than react emotionally to events and circumstances. Meditation quiets the endless stream of thoughts that we generate – up to 50,000 per day, most of which are about the past or future – and brings us back into the present moment. As the present moment is the only thing that ever exists, it brings us back to ourselves. In this light, organizations like the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, lead by neuroscientist Richard Davidson, are showing how meditation can help soldiers suffering from PTSD to let go of their pasts and reclaim their lives as they exist now. They are also showing how meditation’s effects can be felt by students in enhancing the brain’s ability to better learn and retain knowledge. It also helps reduce aggressiveness in the classroom resulting in better behaved kids, less bullying, and more productive class room environments. The list goes on, but in a nutshell, meditation produces happier, less stressed, more thoughtful, and overall healthier people. A “no-brainer”. Haven’t started your own meditation practice yet? It’s easy to get going – here are some resources:
Zen Mountain Monastery – Meditation Instructions – http://zmm.mro.org/teachings/meditation-instructions/
How to Meditate Org – http://www.how-to-meditate.org/videos
Breathing Techniques – Dennis Lewis – http://www.dennislewis.org/practices-exercises/breathing-meditation/
Excellent book on Meditation – Insight Meditation by Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein
Mindfulness for People Who Are Too Busy to Meditate: http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/03/mindfulness-for-people-who-are-too-busy-to-meditate/
What Happens To Your Brain When You Meditate? A Neuroscientist Explains – http://consciouslifenews.com/happens-brain-when-meditate-neuroscientist-explains/1174389/
6. We reunite Heart with Mind and Logic with Intuition.
In the West especially, we pride ourselves on our “rational and logical” thinking. We insist on “scientific proof” for any concept or idea for us to take it seriously. There is of course merit in such an approach and we all benefit in many ways from better logical thinking. But when we take a holistic approach to life, we quickly notice, if we limit ourselves to only logic and leave out heart based intuition, or approach our lives solely in a rational way without adding the creative, non-linear sides of our capability, we are left with sub-optimal solutions and insight. We in fact handicap ourselves by using only a subset of our total resources. It’s like running a race by hopping along on one leg. Why would anyone voluntarily do that? But everyday that’s exactly what most people do. However, as Science does matter, it’s important to pay attention to the work of the HeartMath Institute (HI) – who for 30 years have been conducting clinical research into the role of the Heart’s Intuitive Intelligence. HI has shown that there is a core communications channel between the heart and the brain. In fact, the heart is giving more guidance to the brain than the other way around. View this brief video on their website to learn more about the heart’s intuitive intelligence. For an overview of research conducted by the Institute of HeartMath – you can read the Science of The Heart: Exploring the Role of the Heart in Human Performance - on their website. Also, take a look at my recent post – Holistic Intelligence – Don’t Settle For Anything Less.
7. We seek a Holistic approach to our Health and Wellness.
The mind-body connection is becoming more well-known. The placebo effect is that connection in action – what we think can alter our physical health. There is however much more to a holistic approach to health. Holistic health moves beyond just looking at the inner workings of the physical body, but moves into understanding how everything that comes into contact with our physical selves has an effect. So, at a minimum, our bodies require food, water, air, and light in order to function properly. The quality of those four core substances has great impact on the quality of our overall health. Organic food is just the beginning. We need to look closely at the quality levels of all things coming into our bodies in order to get truly healthy. Moving away from the core four items, there is also a need to look at how our thoughts, emotions, and spiritual lives are affecting our health. This moves into the area of the Human Biofield – the study of various energetic / information fields surrounding the body and emanating from source consciousness and which are believed to be regulating all aspects of our existence.
There is a company called NES Health that has made a device that is based on the principles of reading the Human Bio-Energetic field. The device is in use around the world with over 4,500 medical practitioners. The company provides background on its technology as focusing on how all of life is energy:
“If we were to quote the most well-known equation in all of science it would be Einstein’s E=MC^2. And in this equation we see that matter equates to-and is essentially made up of-energy. Yet if you were to ask how that energy gets formed into all the different kinds of matter in the universe, you would note that matter is, in essence, organized energy. Information is the organizing principle. Hence when looking at biology and medicine, we cannot just look at the biochemical nature of the body. We must also look at the energy and information of the body. Because, at this level of biophysics, the source of health in the body (as well as its deterioration) is clearly evident: properly organized information and energy within the body equates to overall wellbeing and an “optimal blueprint” for homeostasis and health. When either the information or energy within the body becomes distorted, health deteriorates. One way to consider this is to look at the body’s natural efficiency. Nature has developed very efficient techniques that allow the body to perform its numerous life processes with very little energy consumption. When health becomes compromised (including physical, emotional, and psychological health), one of the basic common characteristics in all cases is that energy usage becomes less efficient within the body, i.e. energy is wasted. Therefore, a primary measurement we use for wellbeing is how efficiently each system and sub-system of the body is using energy. Because we have been able to directly measure optimal energy efficiency in each part of the body, our technology can easily detect areas of concern. In these ways the human body-field can be likened to the body’s master operating system-the software that runs our hardware. “
You can download a free 100 page e-book on the Human Energy Biofield on their website. NES is scientifically proving that we are energetic beings and that energy and the information that it is carrying is regulating our core human body functionality. Anything that pollutes the energy field (unhealthy food, electromagnetic radiation, chemical toxins, bad water, poor air, and our thoughts), affects the proper functioning of the human energy biofield and therefore our health.
8. In every situation, We Seek to find the Most Loving Solution or Approach.
Imagine if the concept of “Love” was used all throughout society – not just on Hallmark cards on special occasions. Not romantic love, but that universal essence that acknowledges the underlying connection between all of us. When you love someone you remove the separation between you and them. What would it be like if at a business meeting, the senior leader asked for the monthly key status indicators and said he or she specifically wanted to see “how loving” the organization had been that month towards its customers and suppliers?! Is that crazy? Are you feeling highly uncomfortable right now?
Many non-profit organizations have been built upon a heart-based or love-based foundation. Think the Red Cross, Doctors without Borders, the Salvation Army, and millions of others. The non-profit world is in fact often called the market place of love. But why limit it to them (10% of U.S. GDP is in the non-profit sector)? Don’t we need to spread the love around?
In day to day practice, this would manifest as in every interaction you had with anyone else, you would look for what was in the best interest of the other person. The other person would do the same for you. Can you imagine that? Every interaction would be a transparent, win-win solution approach to making life on earth a much better place for everyone. This way of being gets us into the wisdom passed on by various religions and enlightened masters – what we do unto others, we do onto ourselves. The other is us. The concept of Karma is built on this foundation – it acts as a mirror for our thoughts and actions. Think and do good things and good things are shown back to us. Think and do unkind things and unkind things are brought into our reality. The system works likes that to make us understand that we are all one and connected. Karma allows us to experience our effect on others, to eventually help us remove the separation between us and them, and to find love in everything we do. It encourages us to seek, find, and respect the divinity in each person we encounter in our daily lives. See my post – Seeing the Oneness of our Reality for a deeper overview and resources to explore.
9. Profit Maximization at the Expense of all Else, Becomes a Thing of the Past.
The Western Corporate System has at its core the ethos of maximizing shareholder profits as its one and only goal. In fact, if you are a public company board, you face the always present threat of a shareholder lawsuit if someone or some entity feels you didn’t pursue that sole goal with enough vigor and focus. For you history buffs out there, you’ll be happy to know that it wasn’t always this way. In the 1950’s if you asked a big company CEO what his top goals were, he would most often reply with a list that included: taking care of his customers, his employees, bringing a positive benefit to society, and giving a decent return to shareholders. It was a more balanced approach to capitalism – a multi-stakeholder approach. Of course, these things go in cycles, so if you would rewind another fifty years prior to that, things would not look so rosy. But hopefully, this time we can permanently get off the roller coaster and move to a more humane form of business.
Thomas Picketty’s book of course has given us plenty of data to explain the consequences of the current corporate system’s approach, but there are also a few organizations and movements that are attempting with to fundamentally alter the system from the inside out. The first is the non-profit B-Labs whose Benefit Corporation framework allows a for-profit (or non-profit) company to register as a B-Corp (now in 26 states including Delaware) and officially have a multi-prong mission statement that goes beyond just profit maximization. This would include things like community impact, sustainable business practices, employee satisfaction, etc. There are now over 1,200 registered B-Corps in 38 countries in 131 industries and the list is growing. B-Corp registration gives a company the legal framework to pursue their multi-stakeholder mission without the threat of shareholder lawsuits. B-Labs also certifies B-Corps on a 120 item evaluation of how true they are to the values of a Benefit Corporation.
Another organization also working towards the goal of creating “Conscious Capitalism” is The B-Team. This non profit started by Richard Branson, Muhammad Yunis (micro lending pioneer), Arianna Huffington, Ratan Tata (one of India’s most successful business leaders), and others is focused on helping for-profit companies move to a new stage of capitalism beyond pure profit maximization. They have created a “Plan B” blue print for business that prioritizes people, planet and profit and expect to release the full plan in September 2015. The plan will address how companies can improve their operations in the following core areas: 1. Lead for the long run, 2. Value diversity, 3. Reinvent market incentives, 4. Foster collaboration, 5. Drive full transparency, 6. Create thriving communities, 7. Scale true accounting, 8. Restore nature, 9. Redefine reward systems, and 10. Ensure dignity and fairness. The B-Team also just announced that they are teaming up with B-Labs to help facilitate their partner companies becoming B-Labs registered and certified. Keep an eye on these two – good things are happening.
10. Acceptance, Forgiveness, and Gratitude becomes a daily ritual for many more of us.
Human existence is a tough slog. It’s a school for deep learning. Which means, by definition, existence will be full of challenges so that we can learn from them. When we can see the world around us as a mirror that we use to view the physical manifestation of our thoughts and actions, then our circumstances take on new meaning. We can begin to welcome every new challenge as a chance to improve and get closer to the best version of ourselves that is possible. Situations and occurrences can be viewed with acceptance and forgiveness knowing that they have arisen for a reason and are an opportunity, a gift, to move to a higher level of consciousness. If of course, we take the steps necessary to learn and grow from each new challenge. Moving from there, we can be freer with our gratitude for all the things that are going well. In fact, we start to look for them more and more knowing how precious they are. And, as the old saying goes, what we focus our attention on, grows. Gratitude then becomes the ultimate vehicle for growth and change. Let’s all be thankful for that.
Achieving these ten items not just in 2015, but in our life time, would certainly require enormous effort and cooperation across the globe. But with all big goals, a series of small steps is necessary to get the ball rolling. Hopefully you’ll find in these ten items, steps you can take personally to push the world forward to a better place. Thanks for reading and I hope your 2015 has started well and that it will be a wonderful journey all the way through.
-Jay Kshatri
www.ThinkSmarterWorld.com
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