The Missing Key To Flourishing - Something Critical Missing From Today's World

I was driving for a trip over the weekend.

I was thinking about the State of the World, as I often do.

Why is there so much Wrong?

Where does it Begin?

What is the Seed?

That when it Grows, it Produces Fruit so Vile and Toxic?

As I was driving, I was paying attention to the side of the Road.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

More Animals than I cared to count.

All Dead.

Lifeless.

In different states of Decay.

How long had they been there?

Some Recent, yes.

But Others?

I will spare the Details.

What was it I saw?

An Utter Lack of Care for Life.

I Realized that this was the Seed.

We, as a Society, Do Not Care for Life.

I know that some "Individuals" Do Care.

I know there are Good-Hearted People who Strive to Improve the World Around Them.

But they are the Exception to the Rule, Unfortunately.

Far more often, People Do Not Care for Life.

Not for Animal's Lives.

Not for Other Human's Lives.

Sometimes Not even for Their Own Life.

When did Life begin to Mean Nothing?

Was it in the Struggle to Survive?

Was it in the Knowledge of How Small We Are in Comparison to Existence?

Was it in the Deep Levels of Burnout?

Was it in the Corporate Desire to Obtain Profit Over "All" Other Factors?

Was it in the Domination of Screens in our Lives?

The Truth is that it is a Combination of All of These.

Plus More.

We Do Not Care for other Humans Except for what they Provide Us.

This is Why Reality TV is Popular, despite it having Nothing to do with Reality.

This is Why Corporations do Not see Humans, but Resources and Cash Cows.

Even the Term "Cash Cow" equates Human Life to a Cow's Life.

Do you Know how "Little" the Life of a Cow is Cared For?

Go watch a video of the "Living Conditions" of Cows in Factory Farms.

This is how Most Businesses see Humans.

It also explains why Business Leaders Refuse to give Livable Wages.

Why Burnout is Growing to Unprecedented Levels "Despite" Its Severely Negative Impact on Productivity.

It Explains Why people "Literally" Die from Burnout, even in their 20's, yet Business Leaders Refuse to Care.

Some even die at their Desks, being Undiscovered for Days.

Just like Customers, Employees are just Means to an End.

"Resources" to be Spent.

It does not matter the Consequences.

As long as there is Profit.

But it is Not only Businesses that are to Blame.

How can someone Die at their Desk and Remain Undiscovered for Days?

No one Cared.

No one Checked on them.

No one Realized they were Unmoving, Unbreathing.

No one was Greeting Each Other.

No one was Saying Hello.

This happens outside of the Office as well.

Most people Never say Hello to their Neighbors.

Most people Never say Hello to the Person Serving their Food or Beverages.

Most people Never even "Acknowledge" that there is "Any" other Human around them.

These Lives that are playing out around us.

Meaningless...

Except for what they Produce.

There is a phrase that is often attributed to Zen Buddhism...

"How you do anything is how you do everything."

Do you want to see an Improved World?

How do you Treat the People around you?

Do you Treat each of them as a Valuable Life?

Or a Means to an End?

What about Your Own Life?

Do you Allow Others to Treat You as Less than Human?

Why do we Expect Businesses to Change when we "Allow" Ourselves to be Treated as Such?

Life is Not Easy.

But We Make It Harder by Treating Life as Worthless.

There is one thing I wish to Emphasize.

All Flourishing is Mutual.

Teams Do Not Flourish Unless Everyone on the Team Flourishes.

A Business Does Not Flourish Unless Everyone, including Customers and Employees, also Flourishes.

A Community Does Not Flourish Unless Everyone within the Community Flourishes.

I look to see Who is Flourishing in today's World.

I see None.

Until We, as a Society, Care for Life...

We Will Never Flourish.

Flourishing Requires Valuing Life.