A better (and kinder) world
Why it is important
I speak to a lot of people on a weekly basis. I have historically spoken to a lot of people for research and consultation purposes. I naturally scan the horizon for the zeitgeist, the narrative, the discourse. The overwhelming feeling from the people I speak to and the narrative I read is that the world, right now, is not supporting many to be the best that they can be, nor is it giving the opportunity for many to thrive at all.
My vision for my work, and my personal growth, is one of creating a better (and kinder) world. This is not born from a desire to fix the world as it is now. It comes from a realisation that for me (and many others), the past and present are much too toxic, and that there needs to be the creation of a better world.
Toxicity by very definition can be described as follow -
Noun
1.the quality of being toxic or poisonous:"the toxicity of a drug depends on its dosage"
2.the quality of being very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way:"she went public with allegations of workplace toxicity and sexism"
When I consider the level of toxicity in the environment, definition 2 hits the spot precisely. I often use the word insidious when describing the influences of the moment; that toxicity is proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with very harmful effects.
The polarisation of people into them and us is particularly concerning. This is a classic weapon of war, the divide and conquer phenomenon, and I wonder at the acceleration of this within our society. Where a disagreement of opinion descends extremely rapidly into a personal vendetta to discredit the one with which we are disagreeing with.
‘Them and Us’, can be understood by causation from two differing pathway, competition and/or self-identity and self-esteem.
Competition is exactly what it infers. That there is a ‘them and us’ mentality due to competing for a perceieved limited resource.
Self-identity and self-esteem ‘them and us’ is all wrapped up in the categorisation of people and the psychology of ‘you are either with us or against us’. Self-esteem is deeply rooted in belonging and being valued within a group. That our very existance depends on our membership of a group and identity being a huge driver in them and us.
Neither of these is a simple cognitive psychology mechanism, both of the pathways are wrapped up with our evolutionary survival circuits within the central nervous system.
Human beings need human beings.
We are hard wired to be social.
We are also hard wired to take notice of patterns.
So if the patterns around us are emphasising difference and to be fearful of those differences, or, if those who are different are portrayed as being dangerous to the rest of us, or not respectful of the ‘greater good’ then our brains will begin to take notice and our responses will become socially conditioned limbic reactions.
Difference literally becomes a matter of life and death. In our survival and emotional brain that is definitely the case. The prefrontal cortex may take a differing view, sadly though, this part of the brain takes longer than the limbic system to have a critical view, so we may already have reacted to difference in a way that we have seen others do.
It takes only seven exposures to a message for the adult brain to take on that message as being true. Whatever that message is.
The toxicity of the world in which we live, is enabling mass groupings of ‘them and us’ where the individual is disempowered and disenfranchised.
In history it has been proposed that religion and tradition have been utilised as moral authority over the population, especially pre renaissance times. The Renaissance is rightly celebrated for its creativity in the arts, however it was not just the arts that flourished, for the science of psychology it initiated the transition from medieval to modern times.
One of the distinctive developments within these times was the reappearance of humanism: placing importance on individual human beings and their lives in this world as opposed to the dark ages, medieval concern with feudal, social status, as well as religious concern with their future lives in heaven or hell.
As psychology is the science of individual mind and behaviour, it owes a debt to humanism within The Renaissance.
I am increasingly concerned that ‘The Science’, is being used as a dogma, that is seeking to hold moral authority over the population. As a scientist it is worrying for me, as it seems that unless scientists follow the narrative and discourse of ‘The Science’, then they too are cast into the ‘them and us’ grouping. That people who have expertise, lived and learned experience are cast out of ‘The Scientific Community,’ if they do not comply with the mainstream narrative is extremely dangerous to us all.
The beauty of science is that hypotheses are proven, until they are not, that there is nothing as variable as the human condition and that through trial, error, collaboration, disagreements, arguments and debates, the greatest discoveries happen.
The world, on a globalisation footing, is talked about as groups within groups, within groups. Factions arguing with other factions. From things as serious as countries at war with each other to the curly-haired community taking umbrage with the straight haired community on TikTok (kudos to my eldest daughter for discussing that bit of in group out group mentality with me!). People taking refuge in their groups, with the price paid by others who are not in their groups.
Human beings have more in common than differences. However it is through differences that we learn, discover, explore and grow. We should not forget this.
“Complex thought requires effort and when it comes time to choose between two paths, our brain will often choose the easier one. Mental effort means exerting energy, and the brain tends to economise.”-Daniel Kahneman-
Consider that quote from Kahneman.
Which path do you tend to take in life?
What influences are making it easier for your brain to choose to go down that path?
How do you think this translates to the wider population?
What/who/how do you think need to be the influences for a better (and kinder) world?
These are all questions that I meditate on every single week. My brain needs so much energy in contemplation, and meditation, that I am constantly needing to adjust my energy in and out to compensate.
The space to critically think is essential for the creation of a better (and kinder) world. The energy to have the willpower and motivation is crucial. The intent to create better is integral.
I love the complexity of the brain, the amazing capacity of it and that despite our being in awe of technology and supercomputers, that even the most super of them comes nowhere close to the magnificence of the human brain. I am fascinated by how it patterns, how it deals with survival, how we store memories, how we grow, how we develop.
All of this knowledge though is the tip of the iceberg. There is so much that is not known. So much still to discover.
I do all of my work underpinned by the concept of kindness. Working towards easing suffering, supporting with long term strategies that meet needs, being considerate about the beliefs of others, accepting the truth, stiving to be sincere and having the intent of creating better.
Every single day.
Through the power of the brain and its association with the nervous system we can literally move metaphorical and metaphysical mountains. By having the right intention, having critical thought processes, being human not inhuman, we can all make a huge difference.
We can all create a better (and kinder) world.
Can the tonic of kindness be as contagious as the insiduos toxicity?
Absolutely, if enough people do it and influence others to emulate their kindness too. Let kindness be as automatic in all groups as much as suspicion and polarisations is now. Then magic can truly happen.
This gives me optimism for the great intent of creating something better (and kinder) not just for me, but for those who also need that world too. We are all individuals within society, if enough of us move with intent every single day then we can create a movement. The initial start is always the toughest, once you get away from inertia, then momentum will support your movement and we can all move en masse to promote the creation of better (and kinder).
“No one is born hating another person…People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”