HEAVEN AND THE LIGHTNESS OF A HEAVY BURDEN

Ready for a ramble?

Charles Dickens, the great English author, in his second novel, Oliver Twist, has his protagonist asking for more soup with the iconic words, “Please sir, I want some more”.

Those words capture the essence of our generation – we all want more. And more. With a global population of more than 7 billion people, the world has seen a geometric progression of the want-era. Want to buy a shirt – here are 55 brands to pick from. Want a purse – here are 300 brands to pick from. Want a bottle of water – here are 30 brands…..

In the wake of the want-era, we have seen an epic growth in brands and offerings in an increasingly borderless world. Companies like my very own, have benefitted from the giant economy of want. Brands need to stand out, be found and consumed. Companies like BORN help them with those problems. In the first 6 months of this year we closed as much business as we did all of last year. We have grown from150 people to over 1,000. But will this need peter out? Is a slow down coming?

After 7 years of innovating, experimenting and creating the giant, successful agency we have now become, I have had to ask, “what’s next?”. A small group of us huddle every now and then to define BORN Version 2 or BV2. From point specialisms, to ten core offerings to 360-experience management – that’s a bumpy journey but my BORNies are all strapped in, determined to beat the inevitable mal de mer (seasickness). Over the years I have seen the industry go from being brand obsessed (unique selling proposition, messaging, brand owned media) to being consumer focused (unique buying proposition, sentiment analysis, earned media). Up.Down.Sideways! They say the cure to seasickness is to focus on the horizon and that’s what we are trying to do in BV2. What new sun will rise, when and where?

Like Scheherazade, we will reveal our story one chapter at a time. So, stay tuned.

While we occupy ourselves with horizon gazing, others seem to be having fun and the world continues to stay mad. A Lithuanian couple won the wife-carrying contest in Finland (the prize is as much beer as the wife’s weight). No one told Mexico’s Arturo Herrera to smile when President Lopez Obrador announced him as Finance Minister, prompting a riot of humorous jokes about the state of that nation’s economy. And in sunny Australia, millions of bank notes were printed with a typo! And then there's Boris Johnson who famously said, “My friends, as I have discovered myself, there are no disasters, only opportunities. And, indeed, opportunities for fresh disasters.” He is now the Prime Minister of Great Britain. [btw, I think he will do a fabulous job. Now allow me to sneak one more in, “My speaking style was criticised by no less an authority than Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was a low moment, my friends, to have my rhetorical skills denounced by a monosyllabic Austrian cyborg.”]

Coming back to Dickens, he said, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”

If you are a person with dependent parents, or work in an environment where you lead a large team or have needy friends who see you as their succor, you carry a heavy burden. You can’t rest because your dependents may fall and fail if you do. The pressure is constant, the grind is relentless, but you do it. All the time, day in and day out.

Humanity props itself up with a complex web of dependencies, one supporting the other in a delicate balance. But there’s always a catch – if you are supporting a lot of people, who supports you? If you hold up a dozen lives why has the burden not gotten to you yet? I think it is because the love and affection your dependents give you is what makes the heavy burden light.

Ruth Coker Burks, an erstwhile real estate agent, cared for gay men who were abandoned by society, often being the only one by their side when they breathed their last. She is one of many millions, an unsung hero, few will remember. Who’s heard of Chuck Feeny? This founder of Duty Free Shopping secretly gave away almost all his wealth ($8 billion) to charitable causes. So, it appears, there are armies of unsung heroes out there. Rich or poor, humanity is founded on this amazing quality of “care”.

In Greek mythology Titan condemned Atlas to hold up the heavens - you can see images of Atlas show him struggling to hold up the burden. But he does. Heaven is heavy. And for those of you who hold it up, you are an unsung hero, who takes pride in your anonymity, accommodating the thankless nature of your mission.

Fortunately love for your fellow humans does not need to be watered by gratitude.

So, there you go,

Onwards. Upwards. Be Caring.

Your fearless follower.