Big Ideas That Will Change Our World: Internal Changes Are Forever
Big Ideas That Will Change Our World in 2022 - PART XXIV
We went into lockdown during the pandemic and then supposedly went back to our routine when we returned to the workplace. Then we went into lockdown again to varying degrees and again supposedly went back to our routine. We were trying hard to get back to what we knew, to what we know, stores opening, people returning to workplaces, schools, malls and everything else. Slowly trying to restore the stopped systems to how they were before. As it turns out that's not that simple: the viruses refuse to leave so quickly, there are still no clear medical answers, and we are quite embarrassed by the situation. Because we usually like to be in complete control of our actions, and for the first time the situation does not allow us to do that.
It doesn't take long for everyone to be going back to doing exactly the same things as before, but every individual has changed. There is a new internal checkpoint that is watching and criticizing everything: this is good for me, this is right for me, this is not. This is what's new in everyone.
The big question on everyone's mind throughout all this back and forth is whether we're returning to normal, to everything we knew, or whether we're heading towards something a little different? Meaning, will it be the same or different?
Of course it won't be the same since each of us has gone through such significant changes that we are not even aware of yet. But everyone experiences the process differently, and also came out of the process we went through differently. All the shifts in the economy, the workplace, employer-employee relations, the business arena, the organization and more, all of these will gain an additional perspective as a result of all the expected changes, both in people and in the world.
On the one hand people are now returning to their normal system, because the system seems to require them to return to it, and on the other hand the person has changed. At the moment we are not really thinking about it too seriously, and there is not much thought about all the new adjustments that need to be made - and I'm not talking about the technical/logistic adjustments. At the moment is seems as if no one is really thinking about future trends, meaning where all this is headed. Again - there are many thoughts about the technical aspects but I'm always talking about human trends. There is no one to blame of course, this is simply the result of a lack of sufficient knowledge, and therefore also a lack of understanding of what we're really going through, so we can adjust ourselves to respond to it correctly.
Even though the employee has returned to work, he/she will constantly be thinking about how they spent their time away from the office in the framework of today's new situation. It doesn't matter if it's the CEO, or both the company managers and the employees, everyone will have to deal with it from different angles. For lack of a better option the business must be run, but on the other hand a critique of the situation will be necessary, about what we have been through and are going through in this period.
It doesn't take long for everyone to be going back to doing exactly the same things as before, but every individual has changed. There is a new internal checkpoint that is watching and criticizing everything: this is good for me, this is right for me, this is not. This is what's new in everyone.
We have not yet emerged from this process of the impact of the virus on us and most likely there will be more viruses down the road. We will constantly be undergoing changes in this long term process, and we will also have to feel like we are changing. And as we change, so does our understanding of the physical distance between us. We'll acquire a new understanding of the inner distance between us, our mental and emotional distance, and a new understanding of our business.
It is a kind of rehabilitation process that we'll have to go through and hopefully the result of this will be the upgrading of the relationships between us at all levels of society. In the workplace we will constantly re-examine every time, whether it's worth it for us to do this or not, and so on.
The changes we feel are coming from within, and what can be done with them? Nothing. They must be carried out. Our attitude to life has changed and that changes everything. The first that must understand and realize this, and as quickly as possible, are the business organizations that naturally need to justify their presence by being successful and profitable.
(See PART XXIII, ?PART XXII?PART XXI,?PART XX,?PART XIX,?PART XVIII,?PART XVII,?PART XVI,?PART XV,?PART XIV,?PART XIII,?PART XII,?PART XI,?PART X,?PART IX,?PART VIII,?PART VII,?PART VI,?PART V,?PART IV,?PART III,?PART II?&?PART I)
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Big Ideas That Will Change Our World: Our Religion Is Money
Big Ideas That Will Change Our World in 2022 - PART XXIII
Here is a new perspective on our relationship with money: Who works for whom? Are we working for the money or is the money working for us??Let's say for example that I'm a person who likes to eat well, enjoy life, and travel abroad. I don't steal from anyone to do those things. I work hard, and have the option of being able to cover what I love to do in life. So what's the problem with that? Why not enjoy life? Isn't the point of everything to enjoy life?
The problem is that we run after money and only after money. It becomes like some kind of God we worship and the only thing that we want.
Why do people judge me for eating out a lot, shopping and going abroad - what is too much?
The answer is very simple for those who are willing to listen. The fact that we're busy with pastimes like going abroad, restaurants, getting a nicer house, a better car, etc., does us good and that's fine. But the problem with being busy with these things, is that while we're at it we're not progressing to a higher place. As always? I'm talking about developing our emotional intelligence. Because when we're focused on those things, all we're really thinking about is how to fill ourselves.
Money also grants power, which is another way we fill ourselves, by feeling superior to others. Being superior to others typically enables acquiring more money, which grants even more power. So what they say is really true - money makes the world go around. And?behind the zeal for money stands the ego,?the engine that drives civilization. We have crowned the ego, let it build our society in its image, and now we’re paying the price for it.
Humanity is not some random coincidence. Nature has a much broader and more comprehensive plan for us than to create for ourselves a God in the form of money.
The Hebrew word for money (kesef) is derived from the Hebrew word for cover. So we "cover" things with money, meaning thanks to our work we can get all sorts of things we need. Our work involves our mind, emotions and expertise, and that allows us to cover our needs. There is nothing wrong with that, on the contrary, we can be very proud of that.
The problem is that we run after money and only after money. It becomes like some kind of God we worship and the only thing that we want. We put the money in the bank, use it for acquiring all kinds of stocks and making investments. The main idea is how much we amass, more and more, there is no limit to it, and we get to situations where we really have no use for it. We see how we are in a constant race after money and honor. And this is now happening in direct contrast to the general plan for upgrading our human network.
Humanity is not some random coincidence. Nature has a much broader and more comprehensive plan for us than to create for ourselves a God in the form of money. Money is merely a means to be used by man and not the other way around. The problem is not whether to continue to use money or not, but how to use it properly. Because we are supposed to control it, and not the other way around.
This is not the real purpose our ego is growing for in our time, but rather to bring us to a higher goal. What's the higher goal? That we'll learn to fill ourselves with the unlimited fulfillment that comes from the power of human connection. As long as we're not engaged in this, then we're leaving our desire empty, and it is forced to seek fulfillment elsewhere.
Our desire to acquire more, buy, receive, and bring all these material things closer to ourselves, is an egoistic desire. So when we fulfill this desire we feel pleasure. But it only works for the short term, and so we begin to develop a life where we're all caught up in this rat race. How long does that new car smell last? Sometimes we're even sorry we bought some clothes or shoes the minute we arrive home! We may really love the smell of a big steak on the BBQ, but with each bite we take, our desire fades more and more until we're just eating because the food is in front of us. This is because our ego shifts its attention very quickly. It's like a taxi meter that keeps charging us, so what we bought or consumed a moment ago, or even ten minutes ago, with every minute that goes by we're already less satisfied. And so we have to go to work for the rest of our lives, work and buy, work and buy. There is no purpose in this that can really satisfy us, so at some point we stop and say enough is enough.
This is not the real purpose our ego is growing for in our time, but rather to bring us to a higher goal. What's the higher goal? That we'll learn to fill ourselves with the unlimited fulfillment that comes from the power of human connection. As long as we're not engaged in this, then we're leaving our desire empty, and it is forced to seek fulfillment elsewhere.
So what should our correct attitude towards money be? Money should only be used as needed, not to overcome other people, or show off to them. It should only be used in a practical manner to cover our needs.
The worst part of our relationship with money is reflected in the current economy, which is based on exploitation of people, animals, plants, minerals, and even the air.
Worshipping Money No Longer Sustainable
The derailment of businesses and the rise of oil prices indicate that we are moving into a different kind of economy where?money has no value. It's not that we need to replace dollars with gold, but something far more fundamental. In order to live in a sustainable world that doesn’t produce new viruses every few months, we must rethink our attitude toward nature and toward each other. And the worst part of our relationship with money is reflected in the current economy, which is based on exploitation of people, animals, plants, minerals, and even the air.
Instead of the current paradigm where we rank companies according to how much money they have, we should rank them based on whether they produce necessary products and how much they help promote social solidarity. Beyond the production of basic necessities, we should engage in strengthening the social ties among us, our social solidarity and cohesion. These are the only “products” that will guarantee the survival of our species on the planet. Pride and prejudice will only lead to more natural and manmade disasters. It is time to start learning how to be connected and caring humans who are conscious of the collective.
What Money Can't Buy
We are currently undergoing a major transition. In this process, we feel the failure of trying to fulfill ourselves with material goods and travels. The more abundant our world becomes with gadgets and products, the emptier, lonelier, more depressed, anxious and stressed we become. We experience more and more negative sensations today because we see the purposelessness, meaninglessness and emptiness of our accomplishments.
The more we balance ourselves with others, the happier we become.
The myriad of problems in society will play their role in raising awareness of why we fail to achieve an authentic and lasting form of satisfaction. Eventually, we will realize that the solution is in a fundamental shift of our values: from competitive, individualistic and egoistic values to cooperative and connected, where we are more conscious of the whole.
When our desire to enjoy is redirected, when we stop aiming to fulfill ourselves individually, and start aiming to fulfill others, although we see no direct benefit in fulfilling others, it is the key to never-ending happiness. By trying to give, love and positively connect with others, we are gradually changing ourselves. And the more we balance ourselves with others, the happier we become.
The New Definition of Success
In the new world, none of us will rest until everyone is safe and cared for. Just as the whole body has no rest and no peace of mind unless all of its organs are well, this is how we'll feel about every person in the world. We'll soon discover how connected we all are to every single person on the planet, and how we cannot be at peace unless everyone is at peace.
Today, moving toward that mindset is a must. We have become so interdependent that unless we take care of everyone, everyone will suffer. If we acquire this mindset and promote new values about succeeding together, we will flourish like never before.