How Might the Wisest Man in the World Address Society?

With the proliferation of talk shows and the Internet, there are far too many resources that provide advice.  How do you distinguish what advice is appropriate for you when different gurus provide conflicting suggestions?  With that said, it’s not hard to understand why so many people are confused and continue to make poor decisions. 

Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of speaking with and receiving advice from a gentleman who may be considered the wisest on the planet. While he sees the greatness in all people, his advice confronts

what has not worked, thus far.  I’ve heard him discuss some of the toughest issues faced by human beings and provide new perspectives through his personal experience, allegories and other analogies with sports, music and travel.

He believes there is an overall philosophy that is missing in decision-making processes. That philosophy has 3 phases: What does the individual want, what is in the best interest of society as a whole and what are the long term consequences?

He goes on to say, when you look at the human race, you see great advances in technology.  Yet, in the face of so many external changes, the human paradigm has remained the same.  The same challenges people faced thousands of years ago with friends, neighbors, family and coworkers have continued unimpeded by technological advances.  For some reason, people believe technology transforms society. This is a myth. It only transforms how we get things done.  It has no impact on how we see others, the world and ourselves.  In fact, we may have digressed.

In times past, people would gather around elders to hear what they had to say.  Elders where held in high esteem.  Today, each generation disengages from the wisdom of elders.

If we could bring back the days when wise sages influenced decisions, perhaps we could bring a greater sense of order to society.  At least we may have less tension from rapid changes. Because the elders have witnessed recognizable patterns over decades, they possess insight that can only happen after living a very long life.

He says there are solutions that could transform society in one generation. He said, while there are many paths for humanity to take, we only need to be united on one.  He goes on to say we have entered an age where people are left on their own.  As a result, each of us wanders on a different path in isolation, even though we are surrounded by millions. For example, for thousands of years, marriage was arranged or heavily influenced by one’s parents.  Their wisdom to know about your potential mate and his or her family was infinitely more insightful than yours.  Now we reject input from our parents, and therefore, have to figure it out on our own.  What’s worse is there are no classes to help us figure out what we want in a mate and what is required to attract and build a great relationship with that person.

This one aspect of life is critical.  Why? The choice of a significant other is the most important decision you will make in your life. Currently, most marriages end in divorce.  This one act has ripple effects for all of society. 

As you can see, society is in the midst of a transformation without a roadmap to get us through it.

In short, he says the solution is the corporation.  Up to now, organizations have been seen as a source of income.  In worst cases, it is a place to kill time while collecting a paycheck. 

Going forward, it can be much more.  Companies can serve as a place for people to become everything they have wanted to be and didn’t know how to become.  On the surface, it is easy to imagine one’s job being a place where they can accomplish many things as an individual or team.  That accomplishment can serve as an expression for one’s purpose in the world. If you examine deeper, you see the enterprise can serve as a resource for training and development to become a better person. Except, development has to be intentional. Projects become the platform for putting that training into practical use. That way the company, society and the individual will benefit.  

As people become more effective in work life, they will find they are also better able to manage the stress at home with family.  As home life becomes more enjoyable, they will increase productivity at work.  As they become more accomplished in their work life, they will bring greater joy home.

This way of living begins to put us on a path to end poverty, war and other abuses to man and animals. We can’t get there without developing ourselves to be that kind of society first. In that way, it would make each of us responsible for finally advancing the human paradigm. What he says next is mind-boggling. I will address that in another article. 

  

What do you think? I’m open to ideas. Or if you want to write me about a specific topic, let me know.