A moment of reckoning

My 8-year old was working on her homework assignment for Martin Luther King Day, with the theme: I have a dream. While brainstorming, she said to me:

• I dream that our country will have women presidents.
• I dream that our world will care more about trees and our planet.

Inequality — including racial gaps and biases — is a frequently discussed topic at home. And it is true what they say about children — that they have much to teach us — to keep an open mind, and to look at things from different perspectives. For our judgments are often clouded by our own prejudices and life experiences. 

We know best. Been there done that. Don’t bother trying.

For those of you who have young children, how many times have you been asked: “But why?”

Indeed.

“Why don’t more people go to college?”

“Why can’t some kids afford the Internet?”

“Why don’t people go to the doctor if they are sick?”

“Why can’t people buy food if they are hungry?”

“Why are there so few women?”

Their sense of right and wrong reminds me of the words from Nelson Mandela.

“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” ― Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom

Indeed. As I mentioned in the recent Voice For Equality event, people are not born biased. Our values and our actions are often shaped by the environment we live in, and influenced by those whom we surround ourselves with.

As technology plays an increasingly important role in our society, we must pause and ask ourselves: How are our own beliefs and biases shaping the algorithms that we create? Will AI strengthen our social fabric or weaken it? How can we ensure that the power is not exploited and how do we establish checks and balances?

There are no simple answers to these questions. There never was. But what is the role of technology if not to advance humanity? 

Events of the past few years have shown us that words matter. Actions matter. Our digital world isn’t just about streaming the latest sci-fi movies or watching a football match. It is also about how we connect with each other, how ideas flourish, and how information, along with disinformation, gets disseminated.

So on this Martin Luther King Day, let’s work together to rebuild a better and kinder future for all. Let’s include more voices in our daily work. Let’s make an effort to listen to and learn from more people who don't look like us. Be inclusive. Be intentional. However small, we all have a part to play in creating the world we’d like to see. 

This is a moment of reckoning for all of us. The road ahead won’t be easy. But to borrow a phrase my son loves to use:”That doesn’t mean you can’t do it.”