"WE THE PEOPLE" - A Time For Love
against the fundamental values of the United States, I feel compelled to share a story about rediscovering our humanity, from my book, DreamMakers, Innovating for the Greater Good:
WE THE PEOPLE:
"... The
most disturbing condition may be that we have lost our sense of community; our
inextricable natural connection to one another. I believe the false assumption
that we can live isolated and insulated from one another and from the planet
that sustains us – is the root of most of our problems today.
I heard
a Native American mythology that tells the story about a time when the
survivors of the great flood came together and made a plan to renew
civilization. They decided to separate into four groups and set out in four
different directions to discover and rebuild the world. The goal was for each
group to bring their rich discoveries back for the benefit of the whole
community. One group went east, another ventured
west, one group went north and the other south. The group that traveled north
learned to become highly efficient, organized, highly analytical and
conservative – skills and perspectives they needed to navigate through their
bitter cold environment and limited resources. Those who went east discovered
the challenges of the dramatic topography, from the enormous mountain ranges to
the vast deserts of the East. They learned to work in sync with the ominous
topography that overshadowed them. The group that went west faced seemingly
endless bodies of water. They learned courage, perseverance and independence
for they had to navigate through the unpredictable oceans with no assurance
they would find land on the other side. The group that went south learned the
art of celebration, dance and song for theirs was a world of vast resources,
beauty and warmth. All of these
discoveries, perspectives and skills were gifts that could have benefited
everyone when they reunited - But something went horribly wrong. As time went
by, each group forgot that their mission was to explore their part of the world,
to bring their beautiful discoveries and the learning’s back for the greater good
of the whole community. Each group began to form their separate culture and
norms. Soon their norms became their beliefs, and their beliefs became their
truth. They began to judge the other groups, and soon their judgments turned
into hate and hate solidified their separation from one another. Eventually
they began to venture out into the other groups territories. They fought and
killed one another for their version of the truth; each
group believing their truth was the truth. The community mission
was long forgotten and prejudice, hate, war and conflict became the way of
life.
We have
spent thousands of years learning to separate ourselves from one another and
from the planet that sustains us. We are only now beginning to understand that
we are deeply and inextricably connected, interdependent and part of a greater
whole. I am beginning to understand that the way out of my problems is the same
way out of yours. I was talking with my dear friend Peter Senge and he made a
statement that rings true “start anywhere
and you will end up everywhere”. The internet and social media has helped
us to see that everything and everyone is connected in some way.
"A human being is a part of a whole,
called by us the universe,
apart limited in time and space.
He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings
as something separated from the rest,
a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a
kind of prison for us, restricting
us to our personal
desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
Our
task must be to free ourselves from this prison
by
widening our circle of compassion to embrace
all living
creatures and the whole of nature in it beauty.”
Albert Einstein
People
are waking up! The most powerful catalyst for change lies within each of us. We
all want clean water, clean air, good health, an education, a good job and a
sense of well-being. We also want to be heard, to participate, to contribute unique
gifts; to be recognized, to be valued and mostly - to love and be loved. Whether we are
business leaders, employees, consumers, families or individuals, we want our
lives to matter and we want to have the opportunity to flourish and prosper.
I often think of the caterpillar as
it goes through its journey to become a butterfly. It serves as a useful metaphor
for me during these times. Just before the caterpillar goes through its
transformation, it’s cocoon is dark and rapidly deteriorating. Things must look
very scary messy, ugly and even life threatening to that caterpillar. Soon however,
that caterpillar sees a vision of a better life and a butterfly emerges, but
only when the caterpillar has learned to release itself from what it was, so it
can become what it is meant to be next. When I walk through a field in the
springtime I see some cocoons that have turned into coffins, but mostly I see
beautiful, colorful graceful butterflies enjoying the next stage of their
lives.
We humans have the advantage to choose our next stage of being in this
world. We must choose well and wisely, and with great respect for the dignity
of all of life. In this most remarkable, unprecedented time in the history of
humankind, we have within our reach, the means to make our hopes and dreams
come true.
When
I left Herman Miller to join President Clinton’s administration, a group of
employees gave me a beautiful gift that hangs on the wall in my office; I
cherish it. It is a beautiful abstract painting by Carol Johnson, of our planet
with people connected at the head and the heart. The inscription below the
painting is a poem called Ascension, it reads:
“Ascension
fuels the passion to explore
unchartered
territories without hesitation or doubt:
To be a change-maker
while challenging
others
to make the same commitment;
To
provide a legacy by which others are
motivated
and transformed.”
My dream is that we learn from the many DreamMakers we see, read and learn about
everyday; to inspire us to discover the DreamMaker
that is within each of us. If we put our collective hearts, minds and
imagination together we can co-create the lives, the families, organizations, communities
and the world of our dreams. Like any great movement, the pursuit of a
worldwide state where all people and the planet can flourish together, is an idea
whose time has come."
May we work together to
create a world where ALL people and the planet can flourish!
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