3rd February 2021
Do you stand up for the causes you believe in? Do you shout at the world, have strong beliefs about right and wrong, push for change? I’m sort of embarrassed to say I don’t.
Samantha Power is a journalist who moved into politics working for the Obama administration (and now re-appointed to the Biden administration). For a few years she was US Ambassador to the UN of which you get a fascinating insight into in her autobiography. She popularised the terms ‘up-standers’ and ‘by-standers’. By that she meant the ‘importance of standing up rather than standing by’. That you act for a cause or for someone and intervene when things are unjust or plain wrong. In my words – it is appreciating how our individual choices can impact society to create a fairer world and leave behind a history we can be proud of.
But what that does mean day to day when you are trying to live your life, work, have fun? Most societal issues are highly nuanced but frustratingly when in the public gaze are instead perceived as binary – the subtleties lost in the drama of discontent. However despite this, I’m perplexed at why I am not more animated at what are the big injustices of our day. Sometimes I feel abashed that because I’m not out protesting, petitioning or campaigning, I free ride on the anger and determination of others. I know logically and from evidence that changes in societal norms and beliefs is a long slow process. We have this idea that singular big bang events have brought about a revamp of women’s rights, racial equality, LGBT recognition. abortion rights etc. But research (and if you are interested Microsoft has looked into this) reveals that although we like to champion it to exclusive events, change is evolutionary over many years sometimes decades.
But my feelings about how I behave are quite complex as there are times when I want to be a do-gooder; an up-stander (and yes, you read that right – only at times). So I have been mulling. How do you play your part in changing how society operates if you don’t have that singular mindset to do so?
Societal transformation can happen when the eventual alignment of wider human consciousness and political will overcomes apathy. But it also happens when you alter the circumstances or thought processes of one individual at a time. Thinking this approach through – It is subtle and on the face of it an even slower way to effect change but my belief is if you can move one person the conversion is deep. Such evangelists become a beacon of metamorphosis to others and through the power of compounding, society may evolve faster than you think.
Bear with me, this is slightly tangential about effecting change. In a National Geographic article by Ami Vitale, she explains how she had always taken photographs of conflict, of human violence and pain to raise awareness. But she came to understand that ‘journalists also have an obligation to illuminate the things that unite us as human beings’. She says ‘If we choose to look for what divides us, we will find it. If we choose to look for what brings us together, we will find that too’. I think she is right on both counts. But I like to think it is the what unites us that holds so much promise for how society can be a better place for all. And so in my day to day I relish these ‘uniting occasions’ with others that cross my path; actively architecting moments of camaraderie around whatever feels right at that point.
I know this makes me sound like someone to avoid but a snippet of conversation, a flattering comment, a smile, help, generosity to or from a stranger, a thank you have a poignant, ‘uniting’ effect on the individuals involved. If my theory of compounding is correct, some of these people will like me feel compelled to pass that on to strangers or loved ones and so forth – and that can only be good for the fabric of society. Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager, used to take his players aside and tell each of them individually that they were the most important player on a day; that the football match depended on them because of their particular attributes. The story goes that this made them want to play well and spread this positivity to their team. Compounding.
I’m not the most consistent parent, actually I’m of the parenting school of double standards. However – and I know this is old fashioned and corny – but we all need a little corny, one of the areas I am quite consistent in, is ensuring our cost centres understand what it is to be compassionate, aware of others, participating members of society. I want them to continue compounding consciously or not. That to me is how we become everyday up -standers and that to me is how us less animated ones will change the world.
Curiosity and the rascal 