What are your choices?

Man is the measure of all things, Protagoras

People engage in all sorts of relationships, people pursue their dreams, go to work, communicate, run companies, make powerful decisions, and make other choices every single day. The human being is the center of every social process.

One person can make all the difference. Have you ever noticed that just one utterly happy or utterly miserable person can affect a lot of people with his happiness or his misery? Have you ever noticed that one person who throws away the rubbish not into the rubbish bin but on the street, into the sink, into the sea, out of the car on the road, is encouraging this behavior in others and they repeat his actions?

“One strong leader can set a great or a disastrous example that his employees will follow” that is what we hear very often. Truth is that every person can set a great or a disastrous example that others might follow independently from knowing or not knowing him.

One person can affect a process, which involves lots of people, lots of money or lots of something else. It is happening every single day, and this person won’t need to chain himself to the tree next to the parliament for that.

Imagine that there is a company and this company bought super hi-tech equipment that allows it to automate the largest part of the production process and therefore this allows it to reduce the number of operational people employed by the company.

The first feeling that many usually get when they hear about this example is one of resistance, sadness, a sense of unfairness, etc. and the thought that this particular example actually shows that human beings are powerless, that eventually machines might take over the world, etc. That this example actually proves the human being is not the core but is just a pawn in a chess game of “big players”.

However, by looking closely – we can prove the opposite. Those who created this super hi-tech equipment were human beings, those who decided to promote it, to buy it, to replace the old equipment, to reduce the number of personnel – all those were human beings.

Looking even closer, we realize it was a particular person from a particular department who eventually made the decision that they should go and buy this equipment, equally it was one person who made a final decision to reduce the number of personnel, AND it was one person who dropped unintentionally or planted deliberately the idea to buy new equipment or to reduce the personnel into the head of the person who eventually signed up for it and launched it. Each one of us can make a difference every single day. 

We should learn how to be responsible for our words and actions every single day too. One person can utter a few words that will change the world of another person in a few seconds.

But how many of us are aware of this constant effect we have on each other? Sometimes after this question – people get a reaction of wanting to distance themselves as “we have not done anything, have not said anything, we don’t think or believe that we can or have affected anyone in any way and by any mean”. Sometimes to do nothing can be worse than doing something.

What would you say if you thought deeply about that? Have you looked at the pile of rubbish next to the rubbish bin and decided to leave your coffee cup there instead of carrying until next rubbish bin or carried it until next rubbish bin? Do you recycle? What was your decision regards the industrial waste if you are running the company? Which company would you prefer to invest – Appl* or some unknown independent laboratory which is working on animal protection projects? Would you take to the vet an injured animal from the street? Will you spare some time to educate youngsters or just share your experience or you think they should make their way to the top themselves?

What are your choices?

Disclaimer: All statements and opinions that are posted on this account are personal and do not represent the official position of IOGP.