Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of RSA, packs many topics about creating a more autonomous, self-aware, and empathic society into a short video aptly titled “21st Century Enlightenment”. I think where Taylor is going with this idea is the fact society already experienced an enlightenment period during the late 17th century and into the early 19th century and he thinks another enlightenment era is necessary. According to History.com “Enlightenment thinkers in Britain, in France and throughout Europe questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be improved through rational change” (“Enlightenment”, n.d.). Taylor (2010) states “21st Century Enlightenment should champion a more self-aware, socially embedded model of autonomy that recognizes our frailties and limitations” (3:16). The video touches on many excellent points but unfortunately avoids how to actually accomplish the complex task of changing an entire society.
Taylor (2010) suggests that in order for us “to live differently, you have to think differently” (1:16). This means that if we want to become better people and make society a better place, we must start with the way we think about everything. For example, I was born and raised in the Catholic Faith and never questioned why I believed. That changed when I went into the military and was stationed in Utah where I met many Mormons who served the Church of Latter Day Saints. I became friends with a lot of them and while I didn’t quite agree with their religion I still respected their faith. I eventually deployed to Afghanistan and again found myself thinking about other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. More specifically, what made my religion the “right” one and the other religions wrong? I realized I was Catholic because that’s how my parents raised me and why would the teach me something wrong? I don’t think they consciously thought about if Catholicism was the right or wrong religion, but I believe this was just the cycle of tradition being passed from generation to generation. Case in point, we are raising both of my sons as Catholics, but that does not mean I don’t challenge my own thinking, keep an open mind, and respect other religions. Taylor (2010) states “Most of our behavior is the result of us responding automatically to the world around us” (2:10). To live differently, to live more empathetically, we must pause and think before responding automatically.
Taylor discusses Robert Kegan’s thought that “successfully functioning in society with diverse values, traditions, and lifestyles require us to have a relationship to our own reactions rather than be captive of them” (4:02). He also argues that we need "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange" (4:10). In short, this means we must avoid negative reactions to people who are different than ourselves and understand that sometimes there is no right or wrong, but just different. For example, there has been a drastic shift in the acceptance of sexual identities and the LGBTQ community over the last decade. This is not to say there has been full acceptance, but it’s obvious that acceptance is gaining ground and fast. I grew up in a time when these were non-issues in my world or taboo to even discuss. Looking back, I know now that different sexual identities and preferences existed but were simply hushed because the norm was to reject the thought of people being anything other than heterosexual. Looking forward, we have the choice to agree, disagree, accept, tolerate, and even agree to disagree with those who are different. However, we must respect people who are different from ourselves if we want an empathetic and autonomous society.
Taylor suggests that our society should eschew elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. The optimistic and “anything is possible” side of me believes this can occur. On the other hand, the pessimistic and realistic side of me views this as an impossibility when considering the sheer scale of empathetic change necessary on a global level. Speaking on a personal and local level of my experiences, I am astounded at society’s lack of empathy. There are times when I come across unique individuals and appreciate their caring, understanding, and empathetic nature. Unfortunately, that is typically the exception and not the norm. I was raised to honor the Golden Rule in which we treat others the way we want to be treated. It has to start with the parents instilling such a simple yet crucial value to their children if we wish to cultivate empathetic citizens. The problem is that some parents lack empathy and therefore their children have a good chance of also lacking empathy. So how does society break the cycle? The only way I see that happening is adults changing the way they think about and react to others. But that has to also be a conscious decision to want to change and some people simply aren’t conscious about their thinking, let alone changing it. Taylor (2010) argues that it has become a cliche that education is the most valuable resource to a global knowledge economy, but “fostering empathetic capacity is just as important to achieving a world of citizens at peace with each other and themselves” (6:56). The problem I see with this logic is that not everyone has the intellectual capacity to be a brain surgeon or the physical characteristics and talent to play professional football. Similarly, people lack the capacity to increase empathy and have limitations.
Taylor discusses atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. Such action would have catastrophic results in regards to organizational change because the people that make up the organization are one of the foundational elements of an organization’s success. Remove collaboration from an organization where people are now operating independently, then you will find an immediate reduction in necessary communication, innovation, and overall growth. I can’t even imagine trying to perform my job successfully without collaborating with others, but I know that removing collaboration would not just slow positive organizational change, it would most likely prohibit such change. This exercise has shown me the importance of empathy in our society and I will continue to be empathetic throughout my career. Additionally, I must be conscientious of how I react to those who may think, act, or even look different than me. Sometimes there is no right or wrong, just different.
References
Enlightenment. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/enlightenment
Taylor, M. (2010, Aug 19). RSA Animate: 21st century enlightenment. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo
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