Because we share the world, and we are, above all, social animals who need to connect and work towards progressive outcomes, I have tried to put together some valuable thoughts to inspire us in a meaningful conversation. I know that the biggest stumbling block to understanding is a lack of a shared culture. Thus, my first thought is, how can we define culture? This might be where we need to begin to build this shared understanding.
I was taught that culture is the total of the ideas, customs and social behaviour of a people or society. Culture is expressed in how we relate to each other at all levels: physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. For some, the whole of life is inspired by God and religion; for others, it is inspired by materialism. For others still, it is based on a humanistic perception of ourselves and the world, perhaps, even with a belief in atheism or the absence of an all-powerful God or Creator, but still with a confidence that all humans matter and deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.
A group of people who share a spiritual belief will transfer their thoughts or culture to their society. In this process, they define themselves as those who are correct, and by definition, all people who fail to conform to their expectations will be wrong. They will be the outsiders, strangers, foreigners, and even the enemy. And this is why it matters how we think of ourselves, how we define ourselves.
In modern society, materialism dominates. People are defined mainly by what they possess or do, how much money they have, and how great their power and influence are. When you think about it, this is a pretty simplistic definition, and there is ground to challenge it. It is being challenged by those who do not share the values behind this approach.
Speaking of which, l think of how we can express our challenge other than through conflict and adversarial behaviour. I can best explain it thus: if a person disagrees with me and my views, I am likely to feel disapproved of, rejected, and alienated. If I lack self-esteem or self-respect, I will feel antagonized and am likely to want to fight off the threat of rejection or exclusion.
If I am defined as not belonging, I will be placed on the outside, on the scrap heap, denied the basic social contact from which my personal needs are filled. As a human being, I need not only food, water, shelter and usefulness; I also need human companionship and even love – which I can only find by belonging somewhere. If you have followed me until now, you can see why, if I am disagreed with, or even if any one of us is disagreed with, our response will be guided by how we react to criticism or disapproval. Often, our behaviour at this point will be inspired by fear, a fear of being rejected and isolated.
This is critical because fear means we will interpret the situation as dangerous and a threat and want to fight against it. We will want to suppress the threat, which could mean suppressing the person who disagrees with us. But this kind of response itself is dangerous because rather than being able to assess the value of the argument presented to us objectively, we immediately become focused on how to neutralize the personal threat to our well-being.
More simply stated, we arrive at the point commonly described as ‘flight or fight,’ that is, we will jump to the assessment of whether the person challenging me is equal to me in a fight – that is, can I eliminate this person, cancel out this danger, and if not, what is my escape route.
At this point, communication is excluded because we have already concluded that we are being threatened. A dialogue will be difficult to realize. For example, suppose a wealthy person cannot engage in a conversation with a poor person because of the fear that the poor person will only want to steal from them. In that case, they will be both the poorer because they will be unable to understand that they share the same world.
If a person from one faith refuses to share anything with a person who has different beliefs, they both lose the opportunity to find common ground they would need to build understanding. This makes a poorer world with more conflict and suffering and fewer opportunities to create a reality where all humans, men, women and children, can thrive in peace and harmony. And let us not forget that peace and safety will ultimately rule how we are using our earthly resources, this incredible nature that is given to us all to enjoy and respect and not to destroy.
We cannot forget about the environment because we all depend on it to survive. As an intelligent species, our behaviour and how well we fill our custodial role towards the earth will also determine the future of all the animal and plant species around us. We know that global warming is a reality and, that we are sensitive to temperature change, that strong natural phenomena can be unleashed if the balance is disturbed on this earth. We also know that the air we breathe, one thing that is essential for our very life but that we all take for granted, can be affected by pollution or be deliberately infected by chemical weapons. The air we breathe could be ready to kill us, and we would not be able to see the threat until it is too late, which leads me to try and understand how this world around us is constructed and how it functions. For example, politics is a complex and for many, mysterious world. However, this much-misunderstood world is important as it can determine how the future of humans and all species will fare.
I want to discuss the stunning outcome of the US elections last year, which has resulted in a new President being elected who has never been seen in the political context of the world before. There is much apprehension about what to expect from the new administration. Already, there are fears that some of Mr Tump’s most essential values had not been fully comprehended while he was campaigning. The US American people are amazed to see new policies developed that they never anticipated. The ban on people from the seven Muslim countries is an example. Many of his other policies are aimed at controlling, in an aggressive way, the people around the US and the relationships that the new President wants.
It is clear that the anxiety of many people, especially people in the business sector, will negatively affect economies and global trade in particular. How will this pan out, nobody knows, and we can only watch and wait as the play unfolds. However, one thing is sure is that the world’s future is more uncertain because the response of the most powerful country is inspired by fear and a desire to ‘be great again’ or to dominate.
It might become important to counter this approach with an alternative, such as expressed in the million people protests that we can see in the US and many other places. These protesters want to see less conflict and fewer armies, more money for health and education, and general care for people. It might have seemed that the elections in the US, which seemed to go on forever because of their convoluted processes through the colleges, the preliminaries etc., did not matter. However, in the end, just so many (or too few) voted, and the day was carried by a very intransigent candidate, which proves my point that, like it or not, politics matter for all of us, as they insinuate themselves into every part of our lives.
Eventually, the world might choose to move towards greater inclusiveness, greater tolerance of differences, and a step towards multiculturalism.
Multiculturalism as a policy advocates tolerance and an acceptance of differences, leading to a more cohesive society and ultimately greater productivity and well-being.
The politics of inclusiveness have been assessed and found to be valuable indeed. And this is why we should wonder why, even today, in this world that we regard as most inclusive, the role of women in the world is so limited. It is not useful to quote the fact that some women are leaders of countries, leaders in their field, very successful in life and enjoying a golden time because this is only a fraction of the real picture.
At the heart of this modern society is one specific profession: engineering. The definition of engineering is ‘the branch of science and technology concerned with the design, building, and use of engines, machines, and structures. You can no doubt appreciate that the ability to imagine, to project a vision of the kind of world we are likely to encounter tomorrow, is a critical part of the understanding required to influence and shape the type of world that it will be. The person who can do that is likely to have carved for himself, or more rarely herself (only a few percent of all engineers in most countries are women) a place of importance and influence. It has been pointed out that China is run by an engineer, as is the United Nations. In business, Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft are all the creations of engineers. These people are also the wealthiest on this earth.
Perhaps the only solution is to support what teachers in the school are trying to achieve: to make sure that students are taught to value and respect each other, care for each other, and be connected. For all teachers and for all people committed to making this world a better place, whether their actions are successful or not in every instance remains irrelevant. The importance is to make sure that each person’s significance and humanity are understood and respected. Each is given a chance to achieve a healthy and happy life in a social and absolute sense. That is what I wish for everyone, and I know that it is the life goal of every mindful person.