?Reawakening Our Deeper Humanity: The Human Transformation Needed to Win the War for the Future

This article was published as a chapter in a newly launched book: “Explorers Today, Winners Tomorrow”, published by the Alumni Society of Singapore Management University. It is version 2.0 of my original seminal paper on “Reawakening the Deep Human Within” published in 2018, that launched my Deep Human Movement.

The Human Evolution

We live in interesting times, in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (“VUCA”) world. Since the invention of the steam engine and the advent of the First Industrial Revolution over two hundred years ago, the world has experienced unprecedented economic growth, prosperity and accumulation of material wealth. We have now entered the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with artificial intelligence (“AI”), Big Data, Internet of Things (“IoT”), personalized medicine, commercial space flights, with amazing scientific discoveries and technological advances from the cosmological scale down to the quantum level. We have Siri, self-driving cars, consumer robots, AI chat-bots, machines that can perform language translation and understand spoken human language. We have machines that can best human world champions in the game of chess, the game of Jeopardy, the ancient game of go, and even poker; machines can now write music, paint, assist in drug discovery, and perform simple disease diagnosis. They are already trading stocks on our behalf.

Despite all these amazing technological and economical advances, as a human race we seem ever more disconnected and in greater disharmony with our planet, our environment, with each other, and with ourselves. As a society we seem more unhappy than ever – we are materially wealthy but spiritually poor.

Our Planet, Our World Faces Unprecedented Challenges

Our planet, our world face unprecedented challenges. Alongside all the prosperity, we have population explosion, poverty, hunger, violence, cultural conflicts, wars, a widening chasm between the have and the have-nots – the 1% versus the 99%; we have global warming, environmental degradation and ecological devastation. The planet's resources have reached a choking point: water, clean air, energy, arable land, food supplies, etc. The world's oceans are vastly over-fished. Many species of life – both on land and in the sea – have become extinct. For the surviving species, the world has become a very dangerous place. It has become a dangerous place – for ourselves – especially for women and children.

We face an epidemic of diseases of the modernized society, diseases of both the body and the mind: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, autoimmune, autism, ADHD, chronic stress, anxiety, and depression; for many young people, they face increasing expectations, competition, time pressures, choices, information overload, social media, and other stressors, without a corresponding improvement in coping ability and resilience to handle the stressors properly. The sad truth is that most of these diseases are man-made and self-inflicted. Not only are we at war with one another, we are at war with ourselves.

Furthermore, we have The Great Human Divide: more and more of the world’s wealth, power and influence are residing in fewer and fewer hands –? the wealthiest handful in the world. This divisive human condition has never been more vividly demonstrated the past couple of years as the pandemic has most adversely impacted those residing at the base of the pyramid. As a race, we are literally coming apart at the seam (of inequality).

There is also Singularity: the point in time when machine intelligence surpasses human intelligence; many have predicted that it will arrive in the imminent future. As this exponential future draws near – when computers can process information and make productive decisions at speeds orders of magnitude faster than humans can – the list of activities and tasks where computers can outperform humans will also grow exponentially. As this trend continues, there’s virtually no limit on how “smart” computers can become. It’s not just a question about jobs and livelihood; it becomes an existential question. Technology is advancing at a rate that is outstripping humanity's ability to fully understand and control it - and harness it for good. In too many instances, technology has been deployed to the detriment of our health and wellbeing, and our own sustainability.

Somehow, somewhere in this unbridled pursuit of economic growth, wealth creation and material consumption without restraint and consideration for the larger impact that it has on our environment, our society and our own wellbeing, we have gotten ourselves into a real mess. We have lost the plot of what it means to be human. We seem to have lost our way. Collectively, we seem to have lost our soul.

The Need for A New Approach

The current reality is clearly unsustainable; the need for a new approach is clear and urgent. We need a new way of thinking, a new mindset – to bring about a kinder, gentler, more inclusive world – one based on thinking less for oneself and more for others. There needs to be less selfishness, more selflessness; instead of just me and myself, we need to consider the larger we. We need to get back to who we truly are as human beings – to return to the source – to a time and place where our planet was not merely seen as free resources to be exploited for selfish gains and endless human greed, without consideration for the greater good – where conscious consumption replaces hyper consumption – where collective consciousness replaces individual thinking – where we live as one, in harmony and in unity with our environment, our planet and with one another. We need to reawaken our deeper humanity – the Deep HumanTM – in each of us.

Planting New Seeds

The mind is like a garden, where all kinds of seeds are sown – love, compassion, courage, curiosity, calm, tolerance, generosity, gratitude, kindness, joy, hope – also anger, despair, fear, greed, hatred, ignorance, prejudice – wholesome and unwholesome seeds – seeds of happiness and seeds of suffering. Seeds that grow and manifest become the substance of our life and our world. Indeed, our society and our world are manifestations of the seeds in our collective consciousness. So what kinds of seeds are we sowing today? What kinds of gardens do we wish to nurture and grow? What world are we creating for tomorrow?

Making New Choices

Life is about making choices. The thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the actions we take – choices that we make individually – and collectively – create the reality of our world. To bring about a kinder, gentler, more inclusive world – to create a different kind of reality – we need to make new choices – choices based on love (vs. fear), a growth (vs. fixed) mindset, and the expanded self (vs. the ego-bounded self).

The first step on this journey is about getting the inside right. Getting your inside right is first and foremost about knowing yourself – truly and deeply; uncovering your core values and strengths – your motivations and aspirations – finding your inner voice. It’s shining a light on your inner shadows, reconciling with past hurt towards healing and wholeness. It’s developing, mastering, and harnessing your inner resources – your heart and mind – your thoughts and emotions – to serve your best self – making the mind your trusted friend. It’s creating your own inner allies – rediscovering your inner light and creative sparks. It’s taking responsibility for your own well-being – doing something today that your future self will thank you for.

Creating Change

Change begins with each of us, on the inside, in getting the inside right first. The change manifested within then radiates outwards — from the core to the shell – inside to the outside. By gaining a greater awareness of your own thoughts and emotions, your motivations and aspirations, you will naturally become more aware of others’ emotions and motivations. Using empathic communication skills – communicating more deeply and effectively via empathy, deep listening, asking questions, balancing advocacy vs. inquiry, etc – you can become an agent of change in your organizations and in the community to help create positive change.

The 5C’s of Transformation

We can deepen this journey of change and transformation by planting more seeds of compassion, courage, curiosity, commitment and calm – in ourselves – and in others. Compassion and love is the most powerful force in the universe, the source of all creative energy and creative power. Have the courage to be different, to take a road less travelled; courage to embrace change, courage to be the change. Curiosity is wondering why things work, what’s beyond the hills, having an appetite for learning new things and seeking new experiences; it’s staying hungry and foolish. Commitment to a cause or purpose is the foundation of a meaningful life. Calm enables us to ride out the roller coaster that is life, to live mindfully, to create that inner space to nurture inner peace and harmony, allowing creative solutions to life's challenges to spontaneously emerge. Creativity based on compassion, curiosity, courage, commitment, and calm will catalyse the necessary change our world so desperately needs.

There's also generosity, unconditional giving – being generous with one’s time and talent in helping others, in contributing to others’ success, without selfish interests, with the greater good in mind. When done intentionally and consistently, it creates a powerful pay-it-forward multiplier effect of positive personal reputation and goodwill that will return to you in like form, at times when you need it most. There’s nothing more powerful. This is karma at work, and it is very real. And the interesting thing is, the more you give, and more you find you have to give. Can we imagine if on average, everyone in the world gives a little more than he / she takes – that there’s kind of a surplus of generosity and kindness in the world. What kind of world would that be?

Leadership for a New Reality

What each of us has discovered from the magnitude of the events the past two years is how significantly interconnected and vulnerable we are – as individuals, as businesses, as a society. We all have had to adapt to lockdown, social distancing, remote work, home-based schooling and other obstacles. This new reality of global interconnectedness and collective vulnerability – the “New Normal” – calls for a new type of leadership: leadership with moral backbone and the ability to inspire and guide this increasingly complex world into the future.

So what calibre of leaders do we need for our tomorrow? What set of skills should such leadership possess?

Leadership that projects “the big tough guy”, “the smart guy who says he has all the answers” no longer cuts it. It never really has - and certainly won’t cut it going forward. ‘New Normal’ leaders who understand the challenges of this new reality - the fact that our fate as a society and as human race are inextricably tied together - will demand tolerance, respect, collaboration and fairness. These transformational leaders need be first and foremost global citizens that promote and inspire global citizenship, with the following leadership qualities:

Passionate. ‘New Normal’ leaders are passionate with intense enthusiasm for doing the right things and morally just actions. This strong desire enhances commitment, efficiency, productivity and ultimate success. Passionate leaders inspire their teams and those around them - for their work is a personal mission, a life calling.

Persistent. They persevere in face of opposing obstacles and challenges, with the ability to continue with a course of action despite difficulties and/or opposition, and the courage to persist pursuing a worthwhile goal in spite of challenges along the way.

Systems-Thinkers. They understand how the big picture works, how individual talents fit and where they can best contribute, and importantly a stickler for teamwork for it is teams that make things happen. They understand that everything is connected and future outcomes are a reflection of today's choices and actions, and their priorities should reflect that. It is the same with systems, processes, as well as with human relationships.

Intellectually Honest. They are intellectually honest, as purveyors of truth, as well as useful and correct information. A reliance on collaboration is needed to make systems work, and at the heart of collaboration requires transparency and honesty.

Intellectually Humble. They are humble, for they understand that they can best facilitate and draw new connections only if they are open to them. This requires a level of humility in working with others who may be smarter or more capable. To be humble they will need a good dose of self-awareness, be self-reflective to remain open and ready and receptive to adopt different views as well as new sources of information. We need new leaders who are adaptable. When it comes to leadership, flexibility will be their strength.

Compassionate. We need leaders that are kind, human and understanding of other's situations and feelings?- being empathetic and compassionate - who are trustworthy, respectful and respected. These leaders of tomorrow are connectors and facilitators, active listeners, good communicators, conflict managers, consensus driven, inspiring and lead by example. Leadership will become more about inspiring, uniting, team-building, coaching and mentoring, for things can only function well when there is real alignment - and these leaders are great unifiers and true visionaries. And as compassionate leaders they are in the best position to provide a strong sense of direction and purpose for the enterprise to which they are the steward. Now imagine if every leader of every organization is a systems thinker who is visionary, intellectually honest, humble, practice empathy and compassion, and being charitable - won’t that be truly transformational?!

Cultivating Our Youth, the Future of Our World

Every young person has a voice that needs to be heard – a divine spark, an innate gift, a deeply held aspiration waiting to be nurtured, needing to find creative fulfilment. And when we nurture the seeds of these innate gifts with attention, acceptance, and love, by providing the right environment, giving them purpose, these seeds sprout and grow, ready to express their gifts of truth, beauty, joy, creativity, love and light in the world.

Creating A New Reality

“Some people make things happen. Some people watch things happen. And then there are those who wonder, What the hell just happened?” goes the saying. So which is you?

The future is not what we see or hope to see out there – the choices we make, the changes we create, reside first and foremost inside each of us, in our hearts and our minds, in our collective consciousness. This is the invisible reality – but a reality more real than anything I know. Manifesting compassion with wisdom in service of humanity is the highest form of human fulfilment. It is here that we find happiness for ourselves, and for others. Whatever we give we get in return. We can bring light to help brighten the world. We bring light by being the light, the love, the kindness, the compassion, the generosity, the joy.

Global transformation begins with personal transformation. Change begins with each of us.

Be the change.

About Yen-Lu Chow

Yen-Lu Chow is an award-winning entrepreneur, technologist, venture catalyst & angel investor, mentor & advisor turned author & keynote speaker, mental wellbeing champion, social innovator, philanthropist & humanist, student of spirituality & seeker of Truth.

A former Apple Distinguished Technologist, he is the co-founder and Executive Chairman of WholeTree Limited and its mental wellness initiative Over-The-Rainbow (OTR), Founding Executive Chairman of Asia Institute of Mentoring (AIM), Founding Partner Fatfish MediaLab, Founding Executive Mentor of Young Sustainable Impact Southeast Asia (YSI SEA), and founder of the Deep Human Movement.

As an active angel investor and venture catalyst in the tech ecosystem, Yen-Lu has mentored young entrepreneurs and businesses for many years. He has made significant contributions to the Singapore tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem, serving on countless startup business plan competitions internationally, government panels on innovation and entrepreneurship, and as mentor and advisor to the major universities. He co-founded a business angel fund in partnership with the Singapore government, served as a director of Business Angel Network SEA, executive mentor and adjunct professor to NUS Enterprise, mentor to INSEAD, numerous panels on entrepreneurship and innovation internationally, including IDA / SPRING, A*STAR, NRF, GMIC, NUS StartUp@Singapore, NUS Social Venture Competition, NTU Idea Inc, Thailand National Business Plan Competition, CrowdSourcing Week, etc.?

He sits at the nexus of three major social ecosystems: mental health, mentoring and sustainability, bringing extensive experience in tech and entrepreneurship to build ecosystems and mobilize communities to create positive social change. In a fast-paced world where the only constant is change, he believes there is an urgent need for each of us to draw on our strengths and creative potential as human beings to contribute towards humanity in a positive and impactful way. He enjoys building ecosystems and mobilizing the community to create positive social change. With the launch of his family foundation and other social impact initiatives, Yen-Lu devotes his time serving both society and the nation in his various capacities.

He is on a life mission to help bring about a kinder, gentler, more inclusive, more just, and sustainable world.

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/yen-lu-chow-6b4164