Random ramblings on a Monday morning
Care.
You can't force anyone to care.
You can get people to pretend to care, by pretending to care for them. You can give them money and rewards and affirmation so that they behave in ways that suit you or your company.
But to get them to truly care is a whole different deal.
It is easy to get people to care for something that concerns them. Their survival and safety, their needs, their egos and their purpose. Connecting that to something beyond themselves, in a very real and honest way is extremely difficult to do.
We keep our care locked away in our hearts. We give it very carefully, selectively and judiciously. Because what we start caring about starts driving us. It makes us do things. It decides how we prioritise. What we care about impacts not only the world but our own world.
Care can't be manufactured.
The best we can do is to create conditions where care can thrive and flourish. The most critical thing we must do is to be ethical with evoking people's passions and affections. Those who have this capacity are trustees of human consciousness.
--
Art
Last week I had the chance to see the Kochi Biennale curated brilliantly by Shubigi Rao . Some of the best work of some of the best artists of our times was on display. The privilege of expanding my mind with these counter-cultural narratives was priceless.
In her curatorial statement she said,
"But we remember the ability of our species, our communities, to flourish artistically even in fraught and dire situations, with a refusal in the face of disillusionment to disavow our poetry, our languages, our art and music, our optimism and humour."
The exhibition was a reminder of the possibilities of art and imagination. I really felt like giving up everything else and becoming an artist!
Why aren't more of us visiting? Why aren't companies organising their offsites and trainings with the biennale as a backup venue? And why aren't we allowing art to guide and steward our collective imagination?
--
Love
领英推荐
As a behavioural scientist, I have looked and studied human beings, including myself. I have tried to understand styles, motivations and awareness. I have run assessment centres, workshops and coaching. I have struggled with my mental health and ruminated over my own experience too.
Doing this has made me realise even more that I LOVE HUMAN BEINGS!
Even though we are inauthentic, petty, complaining, suffering souls most of the time, we are capable of great love, goodness, truth and beauty.
The human experience is a very difficult one for each of us.
I feel a deep solidarity with each of us. We are trying to do similar things, responding to similar contexts. Our experiences are not all that different. So the more I love myself, the more I love others.
My recent realisation has been that the work of culture is nothing but the work of love. It is the lived expression of love for people and respect for the purpose they have chosen to embark on. It is only anchored in this care, this metta, this consideration that we can design spaces and systems that allow people to truly thrive.
When will we have the audacity to bring love at the forefront of our collective actions?
--
Priorities
The four question test
Inspired by Rotary International 's four question test, I have created my own version to help me prioritize. When any new opportunity comes my way, here are the for questions I ask. The acronym for it is NECK (since my neck is on the line?)
Those actions that create a Yes earlier are more important than others, and those which create a No for all four, are a clear no.
What is your four question test? What questions do you ask before saying yes to anything?
That's all for Feb-end Monday morning ramblings :)
This is a pop-up article inspired by a burst of energy and imagination this morning. There is unlikely to be regularity in these posts because I intend to honour my own rhythms and timings :)