Great Results Through Understanding

I went to my friends seeking support last week, hopeful, but not knowing what to expect. By any measure, the financial results have been incredible. The bonus is my deeper understanding of humanity. Friends, friends of friends and family came together in a tremendous outpouring of help. It left me wondering about the source of this generosity. In a time of great global turbulence, what led to this island of serene love?

It occurs to me that, at a base level, it is because most who donated know me. A simple thought, really. Yet, this goes beyond merely being acquainted with me. It goes to understanding who I am, and what my situation is. Further, for the majority, there was a common experience three decades ago that left a bond which has withstood time and distance. It is these points, understanding and sharing a common experience and that has provided clarity to my thoughts.

First, it appears that we are failing to recognize that our individual energies are intertwined in a shared experience. It’s shrouded, however, by our differences socio-economically, linguistically, culturally, religiously, etc. Unfortunately, in this country and around the world, we tend to let our actions be driven by those differences which separate us as tribes, rather than by the shared experience as humans and all that goes with that.

Additionally, we seem to treat life like a sporting event, attempting to score points, while trying to prevent others from making any. This mentality of scarcity: if you are right about something, I must be wrong and somehow diminished, leads to a failure to understand different points of view. Indeed, we don’t even try. Abandoning open communication, we need to be heard – we shout as though the louder we voice our perspective, the more validity it has. We don’t seek to understand, we demand to be heard. In the U.S., we say we value diversity, but our behavior betrays that we rarely do: I am right, therefore you are wrong and your thoughts must be exterminated from society as inferior. It seems the triad “thesis – antithesis – synthesis” has been replaced in many halls by “I win – you lose, so there.”

And yet, witness this past week: A group of people of diverse races, creeds, cultures, and politics, with a common experience and an understanding of my situation, focused on a common objective and achieved a tremendous, unified result.

Amazing what can happen if we allow ourselves to tap into our greater selves.