Through the Eyes of Om - #Inclusion
Recently there have been a few celebrated few milestones since my last article; my birthday (I hit the big 2's!) and I received my 1st bike, the NBA Draft just broke it's record for most freshman selected in the first round, the French Open finals turned out to be a one-sided affair, June showcased #PrideMonth, Harry Potter celebrated a 20th anniversary (shout out mom!), etc. These were just to name a few things of note in the world. Now many of these have a few things in common, but what stood out most to me was one thing...#Inclusion.
Inclusion is the celebration of "oneness". While we are all not the same, it's easy enough to recognize that we share common traits and shared experiences. So why then is it so difficult to fight against exclusion? More importantly, who are those that continue to exclude and how can we open the dialogue for more long-lasting change? Is it fear that is deep seated in our culture or our upbringing? Is it the unknown and because it's never been done before, we don't know how to handle it today? Is it a control of I'm not sure how I should handle this because we never learned about this in school (although there is a shift in education around this today)? Clearly there are more than these, and lessons that can be learned from all of this. However, change is inevitable and while it may be frightening at some level, excitement to be successful in shaping our future has to be in the plan.
Observations and things to think about;
- It all begins with you...with access to so much information today (and quite easily), there should be no shortage of guidance and education. You have to make the conscious decision to make a change (just let that sink in for a moment).
- Consider another's perspective...I'm reminded of walk a mile in another's shoes, and apply this in today's society. With so many of us having experienced a variety of upbringing, how difficult is it really to sit down and simply have a conversation?
- Become a problem-solver...let our actions speak louder than words. The call to action and working with others to understand, develop & implement appropriate change that can sustain must be the way that we start to tackle the issues at hand.
"Inclusion begins with I"
-Sonny Tannan
(unless someone else said it first!)
Sometimes all it takes is a little leap of faith with support from those that you care most about, and that care most about you. Develop authentic connections with people that motivate you to do extraordinary things, and suddenly, the things that seemed ordinary...well they are no longer quite so ordinary.
-Om