The Divided State of America
The Divided State of America
I am a Johnny Cash song.
The keynote business will do that to you.
In the last few years, I've been fortunate to travel the country from Fargo to Florida. I've sat down with San Antonians and Kansas Citians. I've broken bread with Trump lovers and Trump haters. And what I can confidently say, from sitting with America, is that all of the above have one feeling in common: fear.
Some fear, "more?layoffs."
Some fear, "less?in my retirement fund."
Some fear, "more?gun control"
Some?fear,?"less?of my country looking like?me."
More or less...
We fear.?We scare easily.?We’re afraid.?
If someone doesn’t look like us, we fear.?If someone doesn’t behave like us, we scare.?If someone doesn’t dress like us, we get afraid.? There’s a reason your internal operating?system is called your, “Central Nervous System”:
Central?= At your core? Nervous?= In the middle of?all?your thoughts: nervousness System?= Your operating system
(Our standard operating system is?nervousness.)
As we slog towards more bad news (recession, inflation, election), it has never been more clear that we are afraid of the "other side".?We are the Divided States of America. Where only two-in-ten Americans say they trust our government in Washington to do what is right?while, presently, two-thirds of America thinks we're more divided as a country than usual:
It sure does feel like an unprecedented time in America. Even the birth rate across the country is down -- not due to the next generation not wanting the responsibility of children but because so many are unsettled about the doom and gloom forecast of our cloudy future.
We continue to yell over one another. We remain frustrated by each other. We've trained the algorithms to serve up solely our point of view. We've blocked, cancelled or unsubscribed anyone that threatens our beliefs.
What we desperately need to do? Put in the work to better understand each other.?
领英推荐
Ever the optimist -- which I acknowledge you could matador from the tone of this post -- I do have faith in humanity. Almost thirty years to this very day, Rodney King professed, "Can we all just get along?"
My ask is simple: Bodyjump into the person on the other side. Stay curious. Listen more. Check your assumptions. Find common ground -- which is almost impossible to do when you've already convinced yourself that the other person is on another side.
Addressing vs suppressing fear starts with willing conversations. Find a neighbor or a coworker on the “other side” and try to understand the divide.?My hunch? When you do, you'll discover we're all more alike than not.
THE COURAGEOUS PODCAST
A Forbes 30 Under 30 nominee, Matt LeBris is a born and raised New Yorker whose current hustle is the pursuit of turning inward, with the goal of unlocking his core essence. Matt has previously worked for Shark Tank's Daymond John and now hosts the globally acclaimed podcast, Decoding Success. In their conversation, Ryan and Matt chop it up around their unique, and somewhat unconventional definitions of success and unlock the secrets of the equation E+P=O. The two podcast hosts also discuss what brought them to the medium, and what they've learned along the way. The conversation also delves into Matt's remarkable journey, where every setback becomes a stepping stone, earning him a "masters degree in getting knocked down" and an equally profound "PHD in getting back up." It's another inspiring and engaging episode of the Courageous Podcast that you won't want to miss!
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Ryan Berman is the founder of Courageous; a think-feel-do change consultancy based here in San Diego. With more than 20 years working in courageous leadership, courageous ideas and courageous reinvention, Ryan believes your “future is safe with change”. Ryan is a speaker, practitioner and authority on the subject who has been featured in Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Inc and Forbes. Ryan has spoken on the topic all over the country including at Google, Snapchat, Kellogg’s, Kraft Heinz, Logitech, PNC Bank and charity: water. Ryan also hosts The Courageous Podcast where he talks with thought leaders from around the globe in business, sports and entertainment to uncover what it means to be courageous in today's world. His book, Return On Courage, shares why companies need to unlock courage now while providing practical tips on how organizations can install courage in their people today.?Learn more at?couragebrands.com