When Jeremy asked what our burning questions were my initial response was that I really didn’t have one… And then I realized that I do and I have sat with this question now for several years… and I have not come up with any answers.
My burning question Is: “How do we build capacity within the system to value “others” in the global system to the same degree we value our own opinions and those of our close network?” And I mean ALL others – every human being on the planet irrespective of where they live, what religion or nationality they are, what they do, what they believe, what they have (or don’t have…).
We are facing a major global crisis of overwhelming proportions and we need to find a way to leverage our human capacity for understanding and resolving this before we implode into a global war… I’m a people and systems ‘watcher’ and I have come to notice a number of things as over the past couple of decades.
- As human beings we tend to believe that we ‘know’ better than others how to do things, fix things, resolve things etc… Consequently we tend to believe we have the answers and somehow our solutions are superior to the way others would do something – particularly if the ‘others’ are from a country whose development is not at the same stage as ours…
- As white North Americans we spend a lot of time talking down to others
- How do we help people develop the empathy, respect and basic human decency that believes that none of us are successful until all of us are successful? I don’t mean to suggest that success equals everyone in the world having the same number of televisions or a job that pays the same irrespective of where we live. But I do mean that people have what they need to live comfortable, secure lives – food, housing, education, healthcare, meaningful occupations, security and resources that will allow each of us to live without the fear that permeates much of our world today.
- If I don’t value your insights, experience, perspective and opinions then it is easier for me to dismiss your value in the overall scheme of things. Taken to the extreme I may even consciously or unconsciously decide that your life is not as valuable as mine…
- For example – As members of 'Western' culture and 'developed' countries - if the AIDS crisis had hit Europe or North America rather than Africa – would our involvement in helping / supporting / addressing the situation be different? I am guessing that it would be a major crisis with all of the resources we have poured into dealing with the crisis and the fallout...
- If the Ebola crisis did not have the potential to threaten our existence would we find it easier to go about our daily lives…
- When we provide foreign aid to another country who decides what THEY need? Is it them? Or is it us? How can I know what you need better than you? – particularly if there is minimal consultation….
- What is the impact on individuals, groups and countries when they feel minimized or devalued? How is that influencing some of the negative dynamics in our world these days – things like radicalization, terrorism,
Most of us really don’t want to have to own our personal and national contribution to some of the major issues we are facing on a global level. However we ignore our contribution at our peril. If we truly believe that the system owns everything that happens within it, then if we are part of the system we own what is happening… which taken to the next step means we also have an obligation to work to resolve it. If we don’t like what is happening in our system it is up to us as members of the system to work together to fix it. And since they are also members of the system, how will we work with the ‘others’ to create the change we need?
This may be a challenge as it also means that I need to accountable for the choices, actions, behaviours and beliefs that I bring to the system… And so do the others… I wonder – How well will I value your (or their) contribution if I fundamentally disagree with you on every level.. and if I find your approach intolerable?
There are more questions than answers in my mind these days…
Ruth Sirman
CanMediate International
