A small digression: As I wrote in a blog article on my website in July, the first, smallest step is the one that sets the course for the future and makes a decisive difference. This first step can be small or big, that is not essential, it only matters that you and we dare to take it. If you want to shape your future and we want to shape ours, then we should take these steps into the unknown, which is like a journey. In my blog article, I compared this journey with a mental journey into the self („Innerspace“) and an actual, physical journey („Outtaspace“) that every one of us makes as soon as he or she decides to set himself or herself in motion, thus changing something crucial in the overall structure.
Why is this necessary?
The wrong decisions and undesirable developments in politics and the economy over the last 20-30 years are becoming particularly evident at the beginning of the 2020s, in some cases in a dramatic and very vivid way. The effects can already be felt and experienced by each one of us in our own lives. The overheating of the planet, floods and wildfires. The loss of biodiversity due to our industrialized way of life. These effects are existentially threatening for every human being on this terrestrial satellite and cannot be overlooked, because they occur massively, in all their concentrated power, climax-like and partly simultaneously, and are making their way. At the latest since these events, everyone is aware of how our existence and that of the planet, yes, even our well-being, is mutually dependent on and influenced by our actions today. Everything, as I have already written, is interconnected, circularly linked and mutually dependent. This also corresponds to the systemicconstructivist perspective that strongly influenced my way of thinking, especially during my time as a student at Universität Bielefeld, and thus Niklas Luhmann and the “Bielefelder Schule”.
Nowadays, suddenly, it’s time and there is a consciousness and understanding why it is undeniably important for economy, society, and politics to deal with questions of “how and why to handle and navigate” through viral topics e.g. as, climate disaster (“there is no planet b”), diversity, gender/sex inequality, and other forms of binary social depression, social impact (of corporations & organizations, individuals, society), new models of cooperation & interacting, as well as, human economy & human leadership.
Above all I felt passionately about in terms of an economy with a human first approach, more than 20 years ago. Mostly because of my enriching studying and learning experiences I made due to the mind blowing perceptions & canvases of the
“Bielefelder Schule” at University Bielefeld.
The penny dropped. BANG.
Suddenly I understood.
Like today, I have been very curious to explore, connect, and change life-experience realities, and the connection of individual experience with science explanations of why, what & how society & economy are operating in certain ways, which, on the other hand, have a huge impact on everyday life’s of countless people. I was driven to know, how everything is related to everything in our well-orchestrated universe.
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Why exists an unspoken agreement, that everything must follow a predefined linear order?
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Who defines those rules?
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How can I get to the core of what holds society & our planet together?
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What do we really need to improve regarding our unfulfilling circumstances we are living in?
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How can we do it properly according to importance and urgency?
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What is “reality” and how can we re-define and describe it?
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What is „success“ and who defines its meaning or/and importance? A new definition is long time overdue.
“The” reality does not exist; our reality is a social construction, was one of the main learnings during my first years as a young student.
These (post-)pandemic times today, are the times when we realize that we can open up to true emotionality, to maintain or create connectivity with each other, and a higher degree of sensitivity to diverse ways of perceiving, thinking and collaborating, engaging and operating.
For more human, fair, diverse and sustained businesses and societies.
Nothing about our shared reality is surreal or fictional anymore
One thought into the future. What would societies, economies, and cultures of the future need? First of all, it would be essential and indispensable to move from „either/or“ to „both/and“. Away from a status quo ante and status quo, towards a status futurus:
What approaches, future scenarios or new realities could we imagine?
What is already clear today is that it should not be an exclusive participation of a small, elite „expert“ group, but should invite and include everyone who courageously, curiously and energetically wants to help shape the future of the economy and society. The committed actors and passionate forward thinkers of the social, economic and ecological future should come from all sectors in order to be truly inclusive and representative.
First and foremost, business models are needed that are economically successful without harming both people and the planet and wasting their precious resources. In addition, it should undoubtedly be part of the „new normal“ that we consider our economic actions and the resulting effects from a holistic perspective. Our consumer behavior has changed or even been reduced for many people in recent years, and the importance has shifted in favor of family, friends and leisure time, but this is by no means enough.
In a need of an ethical Mindshift
A Mindshift from selfish to ethical would be indicated here if we really take drastic climate change seriously. The future of humanity is directly related to the future of the planet – which is no longer a state secret. Therefore, there will be clear correlations between the long-term success of innovations and the impact of the economy, society and the environment. This impact significantly influences the innovations, change and growth of society, economy, environment/climate. In addition, the socially constructed inequalities between genders, ethnicities, „social classes“ and diverse age cohorts will become increasingly insignificant as we have understood what constitutes real social participation and inclusion, what makes business, society and the environment thrive when we think and act holistically.
In future society and business, we have understood why we need more diversity in our teams: Diversity promotes, among other things, team spirit, resilience, provides balance, minimizes conflicts and promotes the balance of opinions and ideas, thus strengthening innovation and ultimately ensuring success. Finally, the paradigm shift would have to be followed by a fundamental, basal change in values, which I put up for discussion in some of my articles.
For a huge transformational collective shift,
our societies urgently are needing next kinds of values, understandings, and definitions, to co-create and reach next evolutionary sociocultural levels that align us with humankind, planet, and profit as a
solid foundation for „The New Dimension“ or „Reinventing Planet Earth“. Because in uncertain times like these, one thing is as certain and crystal clear as never before:
It is about the preservation of our existence.
What are your assumptions, beliefs, and what drives your imagination “wild”?
What gets you excited thinking on co-create new spaces of future-work-realities & next human-economy-and-society-opportunities?
How does the future of work look like in your own utopian reality?
Let’s enjoy our journey together!
Turning not serving beliefs, patterns & practices upside down to shake
things & systems up.
Best,
Yours Isabel
The Matrix’s Red Pill or Blue Pill – Which is better for creating future spaces of co-working, living, and well-being of mankind & planet?
Neo, what’s your choice, after all?