Picking up from where we left on the last post, and inserting a brief comment that a lot in it was my own personal rant, arguments and examples. You can tell I’m not that big on referencing my sources — unless I am inspired to, or downright have to for academic papers.
Part of my unwillingness to do this is laziness, yes, but there are deeper reasons too. First, why even cite references? To give credit to whoever said it? Frankly, there are few ideas that are truly new. Chances are somebody has thought, said or written it at some point in history.
Heck, even some great inventions, like the submarine, were envisioned by well-known authors before it was even conceivable to actually make one. Fair enough, these writings may have inspired inventors, but what’s to say that a professed great thinker did not find inspiration in words of others? Especially if we take Jung’s collective unconscious seriously.
Another reason for citing sources is to kind of put accountability for the ideas with somebody else. I didn’t say this, she did, take it up with her if you have a problem. Well, that’s very impressive…
Fair point, though: sometimes the ideas are not new but the author/speaker is presenting new evidence to support it. Yeah, then it makes sense to cite the reference.
Anyhow, whether you agree or disagree, I’m open to discussion, and will leave it there for now, and move on.
Last post landed on the idea that a key to facing the great societal challenges of our time lies in our relationships with other people. If we foster strong, loving and co-operative relationships with people, not only will we be stronger against the problems that appear so overwhelming to the individual, but I believe it will fill the emotional holes that cause us to continually make decisions toward short-term gain at the expense of a brighter future.
I cut abruptly linking to a video with Simon Sinek, briefly introducing him. I want to build on it by sharing more of his brilliant work, and intend to make the connection absolutely clear.
You might first want to watch…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euVxbI9pJsQ
And the key message through all this, I surmise, is that we need to build trust.
We need to trust in other people if we are to form strong, lasting relationships with them. We need to trust them if we are to show our vulnerabilities and share our hearts.
Umbrella themes of our modern Western, fear-based society is individualism and cynicism. They are intimately connected. If you cannot trust other people, why would you ever work together with them? Why would you ever tell them stories, share a meal or have a laugh with them?
An important thought I do not feel Simon Sinek points out is an extension of his conclusion that if we need to create trust, it is up to the leader of the group to create an environment where trust and co-operation organically emerges. Would only a leader who happens to trust the group be able to do this? Or, could any leader decide to trust? Could trust be a choice? A choice anyone could make? Do you have to be the official leader of the group to begin trusting your peers implicitly and make changes in the surroundings and in how you treat the people in a way that breeds trust?
This goes intimately hand in hand with environmental communication: How can we communicate to build trust?
And to that, I will introduce Tony Robbins in a similar fashion.
To be continued?
