Getting Along in the World Where We Live

By Ken Whitman, Publisher

There are upwards of 7 billion different viewpoints in the world. In light of this, it’s no surprise that there are conflicting views on politics, religion, world affairs and various other aspects of life, right on down to the food we eat and how it should be produced. This lack of accord happens in families and between friends, groups and nations. As we’ve seen, the result can be polarization, intolerance, human suffering and, in the extreme, violence. 

I don’t mean to get too heavy here, but it does raise the question of how we successfully navigate this maze of opposing views in our daily lives. Is the answer more lawyers, PR firms and lobbyists? Isn’t that what’s going on now? I’d like to hope there’s a less adversarial way we can get along together.

If you want to empower yourself with some tools for communicating effectively about issues of sustainability (organic, global warming, and so on), read our latest feature How to Talk About Sustainability. It reminded me to really think about others’ viewpoints.

As we tell our children, our actions can often have consequences—positive or negative. We have the power to potentially increase or decrease the quality of someone else’s life. That’s a big responsibility. Remember the Golden Rule we all were taught? That wisdom was passed down for generations as a way of helping us evaluate our actions by simply putting ourselves in the other person’s shoes.

If we realize that nearly every person, every corporation and every country believes they are doing the right thing even when diametrically opposed to others, we begin to see the magnitude of the problem. Somehow we all have to get along, and the room is getting more crowded by the day.

Despite the conflicts played out in the daily news, I believe the world is moving in a positive direction. I think this new course is motivated by a global recognition of climate change. Necessity serves as a catalyst for thinking beyond our own self-interest and opening our hearts to our fellow humans, as well as respecting our plants and animals and caring for the soil, air and water of our living planet.

I’m encouraged by the numerous intelligent and heartfelt people who are becoming part of the solution in their personal and business lives. Technology has dramatically increased our ability to connect and to express ourselves. I feel optimistic that we can learn to work together in harmony with each other and with nature.

What do you think? Email me at [email protected].