This week I had the pleasure of viewing a YouTube video entitled 21st Century Enlightenment. In this video, Mathew Taylor discussed how the world is not the same as it was in the 18th century, so we need to begin to see the world in a different way. I believe the name was chosen because, change is inevitable, so as the world changes we as humans need to alter the ways we seek enlightenment.
In his presentation Taylor (n.d.) said “To live differently, you must think differently” (n.p.) If we alter our thought process, in turn, we could alter our actions. Individuals cannot expect to be a creator of change if the actions they are taking now are not resulting in change. I am reminded of the coyote trying to trap the Roadrunner or Tom trying to catch Jerry by repeating the same actions… it will never create success.
Taylor (n.d) believed that most of our behaviors or social interactions revolve around the action of automatically responding to the world around us. The first class of the leadership program focused on critical thinking. If individuals could take the time to think through their actions before reflexively acting, then maybe we could begin to change our thought process, which could lead to a different and more empathetic world.
During his presentation, Taylor (n.d.) stated individuals needed "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange" (n.p.). In this statement Taylor is saying just because you do something one way does not make it correct, and just because someone does something differently than you, it is not incorrect. He is implying that we as humans need to be more open-minded and accepting about the unfamiliar. I am reminded one of a conversation I once had with a supervisor. I wanted to alter a spreadsheet that was no longer current. I presented my changes to her, and she said, “But that is not how we have always done it.” She was transfixed on the familiar way things were handled, so in her mind, the spreadsheet was correct and did not need to be changed. My changes were unfamiliar, so they were incorrect. Open-mindedness to see that both sides could be correct would have been useful in this example.
Another example of believing that the familiar is right and the unfamiliar is automatically wrong or strange lies in politics. I understand we all see one side of the coin, but what makes that side unmistakably correct? It seems, especially in this election, that because I am a Democrat or Republican, I am inevitably incorrect in my views to the other party. If we as humans can begin to separate the “you” versus “us” of politics and start to see things as “we,” then we can begin to develop empathy for one another and positive change is no longer just a dream. Taylor developed an argument that empathy is as important as education in the 21st century, and if we can eliminate the thought that different views are wrong, then we could begin to work together to make the world a nicer place.
Taylor argued that our society should eschew elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. I would love to believe this is a possibility as it is the reality in which I would love to reside. Unfortunately, our society has become one of greed and the need to be the best. The thought process of always having to be the best has led to the act of degrading others. It is a sad world to see because I have always believed that everyone should be treated with respect. I live by the motto my mom told me repeatedly as a child, “Treat others the way you would want them to treat you.”
Acts of kindness and showing manners are declining traditions, and our current pop culture plays a major role. The music industry now contains videos and song lyrics where it is the norm to degrade and objectify women. I don’t see a world resulting in kids growing up to open doors for women when they are predisposed at a young age to disrespect women. At the risk of sounding like my grandfather, they do not make music like they used to. He was never exposed to music where women were talked down to and called names, which is why the older generation treated each other with respect and practiced empathy. If the world could grow to see that we are all the same no matter what gender, race, or religion, then maybe we can begin to search for what develops empathy. Unfortunately, I do not believe it is possible in my lifetime.
At the end of the video, Matthew Taylor talked about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. In this comment, Taylor is referring to the collaborative actions of humans. I have mentioned several times that one individual cannot achieve the full impact of enlightenment. This journey will take everyone putting aside their differences and working together. This concept is reminiscent of a colony of ants. One ant will not be able to make a change, but the colony working together will have a much greater effect. In an organization no individual is self-efficient, so it will take a collaborative effort to make a change. As Bill Withers (1972) said, “Just call on me brother when you need a friend. We all need somebody to lean on” (n.p.).
I enjoyed Matthew Taylor’s presentation and it taught me several things. First, it taught me that empathy is an important factor in today’s society and that we should all try to be empathetic toward one another. I do not make it a habit of being intentionally rude to anyone, but my actions could lack empathy without intent. I must be cognizant of my actions to make sure I am always empathetic to other individuals.
The video also taught me that we all have the control of our thoughts, and changing the way we think could change the way we live. It is difficult for one person to change the world, but a small group can have power. Taylor (n.d.) stated, “Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has” (n.p.).
References
Taylor, M. (n.d.). RSA Animate - 21st Century Enlightenment - YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be
Withers, B. (1972). Lean on me [Recorded by Bill Withers]. On Still Bill. Los Angeles, CA: Sussex Records
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