Where In The World Have You Been?
Two years ago I realized that I have almost all of the meaningful privileges a person can have in modern society and that therefore if I wish to see a positive change in the world, that change begins with me. I set a goal of learning everything I can and earning all the money I need by the time I'm 50 and then being in politics from 50-75 (Current events may accelerate that timeline). I’m not attached to what “Being in politics” means, it could be leading a company, starting another one of my own, supporting a candidate or a cause, or being a candidate myself. But I will stick my neck out, be the change I wish to see in the world and leave a mark. That is my promise to myself.
The catalyst for this decision, back in 2014, was that I was accepted into the Executive MBA program at IMD which I hoped would be, and very much was, a life and perspective-changing experience. My cohort was 55 executives from 26 countries and this year alone I have studied (in the hands-on “Real world, real learning” sense), in Switzerland, China, Brazil and Silicon Valley.
Like most of us, I did not see the wave of destructive populism coming that has swept over us across continents and cultures this year. Worse still, I could not have imagined the progressive Left turning in on itself as it did in the US during the last election cycle, ravenously consuming and cultivating transparent lies to our own detriment. That there are angry people bent on blaming someone, anyone, other than themselves for the problems of humanity, truth and consequences of that rage be damned, is no surprise to me. That some of them have recently come from my own circle of leftist friends has laid bare to me the extent to which the current challenge we face is no less profound than evolution itself.
Three weeks ago (Only three? Wow.) I graduated from IMD and now the next phase begins. I believe in art. I believe in science. I believe in people. I believe, believe it or not, in our current system with some relatively minor, but also relatively profound, tweaks. To my way of thinking, the great problems we face are human condition problems more than problems of faceless corporations and conspiring governments. To the extent that faceless corporations and conspiring governments even exist, which is less than we believe, they exist as reflections of ourselves I think.
I am proud to be an American. We’re doing some very important things very well here and the more I travel, the more pleased I am to believe, as many Americans do, that whatever the problem is, I am able to find a solution with enough hard work and determination. We’re not unique in that regard, but our ambition and our belief in ourselves really are two of our finest qualities.
Much of my foundational thinking about our current reality is reflected in the work of Daniel Kahneman, Thomas Picketty, Daniel Goleman, Phil Rosenzweig and others who are examining variations of the question, “Will what got us where we are, get us where we need to go?”. The answer invariably is “Probably not”, which leads us to the subject of transformational change and to the importance of the little things in our personal lives that enable us to manage, endure and benefit from change. Exercise, mediation, journaling and travel are all of endless benefit to me and on the days, weeks and months when I do all of them, my life is better for it.
And finally, I have found that halfway through my life, the importance of love and family amplifies with every passing day. If you are, as I am, blessed to have family who will work with you, even when you disagree, then I believe it is our critical life task to do that work. We learn profoundly from the people who know us best when we accept them as individuals who love us rather reflections of the parts of ourselves we wish away. They are not us and we are not them and because of that, we are a family, not a political party. My best friend is my Dad and my partner is as passionate, courageous and as mad-dog crazy as I am. I love her and the potential that we create together and while it has taken me half a lifetime to get here, I am grateful that I have arrived at all.
And that’s where I’ve been lately. It’s good to be back.
(Click photos for captions)
