Review of Taylor's - 21st Century Enlightenment
This is the best time in history to
be alive. Though not yet universal,
freedom is advancing. Individuals are
given the space to wrestle with their thoughts and test various value
systems. Religion is allowing more
personal interpretations while politicians are loosening their grip on
constituents. People are no longer being
forced to think one way; rather, creativity, innovation, and a new
enlightenment are being accepted and promoted.
The historical Age of Reason, otherwise referred to as the Enlightenment,
questioned traditional authority and embraced the notion that humanity could be
improved through rational change” (History.com, 2013).
Matthew Taylor, chief
executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacture, and
Commerce (RSA) summarized the next period of enlightenment. His video RSA:
The 21st Century Enlightenment, explores some of the key ideas of
the Enlightenment, suggesting we might both rethink the interpretation we have
come to place on previous beliefs toward human progress and develop
perspectives more relevant to today. At
the heart of the RSA’s contemporary mission and public debates about the future
prospects for the human race is the question: ‘Can we go on like this?’ Will the ideas and values which transformed
our world in the last two centuries be sufficient to find solutions to the
challenges we now face or do we need new ways of thinking? (RSA, 2013).
The following seven questions that challenged
my thinking while watching Taylor’s video.
Why do you think the talk is titled 21st
Century Enlightenment?
Taylor
purports that we must champion a more self-aware, socially embedded
autonomy. In the seventh century, people
did a lot of talking; today, we must have action. It is not enough to know why someone deserves
to be free; steps must be taken to free men and women. Taylor’s tagline is referred to as the 21st Century Enlightenment
because he is challenging today’s human race to rethink past foundations of
values and principles and weigh them against the challenges we face today and
will face in the future.
What does Matthew Taylor mean when he says
"to live differently, you have to think differently"?
Rather
than always looking outward, we must look inward. Daniel Goleman (1995) refers to this state as
self-awareness. He defined it as, “continually
paying attention to one’s internal states” (p. 46). If the first enlightenment promoted our
individual strengths and abilities, the new enlightenment must build on that by
recognizing our frailties and limitations.
In short, we need a new way of thinking.
The 21st
Century Enlightenment “requires us to see past simplistic ideas and inadequate perceptions
of freedom, justice, and progress.”
Moreover, Taylor said, “we must get away from abstractions and reconnect
a concrete understanding of who we are, who we need to be, and more
importantly, who we aspire to be.”
At one point in the video (4:10), Taylor
argues that we need "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that
which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange".
What is he talking about?
Before we submit our loyalties to
an easy or familiar path, we should investigate its premise and how it aligns
with what we believe and value. Relying
on what we’ve been told or witnessed should not be the basis for making
decisions. In the video, Taylor quoted
Robert Kegan as “successfully functioning in society with its diverse values,
traditions, and lifestyles requires us to have a relationship to our own reactions rather than be captive by them.”
Governing our responses by first
filtering input through our value systems creates a level of self-awareness and
self-control that strengthens an individual and in turn, strengthens the
society. Robert Kegan (2009) said, “The
challenge to change and improve is often misunderstood as a need to better
“deal with” or “cope with” the greater complexity of the world. Coping and dealing involve adding new skills
or widening our repertoire of responses” (p. 11)
Can you think of an example within your
company or your life that supports this point?
As a minister of the Gospel, my
faith leads me to depend on God for divine guidance, encouragement, and
direction. While I do not espouse to
follow the theory of humanism in its entirety, I do respect the motivations
behind personal responsibility and accountability. Two key verses speak of the importance, in
Luke 6:45 Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” and
in Proverbs 18:21 that says, “There is life and death in the power of the
tongue.” If I am to control my responses
rather than be captive by them, I must be able to control what I say and then
allow God to help me change with how I think.
I often talk about the truth of our
responses and our actions. We can speak
of love all day long; but without showing love for each other—especially those
who are different—than what we are demonstrating isn’t really love at all. Jesus also said, “They will know you are my
children by the love you show for one another” (John 13:35, NIV). If the new enlightenment is about empathy,
then we must work together to demonstrate care, concern, and love for one
another. In the Age of Reason, men sat
around for hours discussing the power of the mind and a myriad of philosophical
ideas and motivations. Again, the new
enlightenment must be manifested through action.
Taylor argues that our society should eschew
elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time
looking into what develops empathetic citizens. Would this be possible?
Possible? Yes. Probable? No. Media influence and pop culture is a money
machine getting rich of the ills of its consumers. Pathetic and selfish husbands are portrayed
on numerous sitcoms, violence is celebrated on every channel, and the push to
accept open sexuality on television and in music has reached an all time
high. The minute one think it can’t get
any worse, another song comes out degrading women ort a primetime television
show exposes more flesh.
Even with the onslaught of
degradation, empathy and respect is possible.
As citizens, we must remember that pop culture does not represent the
majority; only the most vocal. Behind
the degrading music video and violent video game are millions of people loving
each other and communicating with respect and empathy. Our challenge is to continue to report it and
share it. Even more, to show it.
At the end of the video, Taylor talks about
atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on
their growth. What is the implication of these comments for organizational
change efforts?
One of my favorite books read
during this Leadership curriculum is Stewart Levine’s (2009) Getting to Resolution: Turning Conflict into
Collaboration. In it he said, “How
did we get here, and how can we get out of here? I believe that as a
civilization we are tottering on a dangerous precipice. To resolve many of our
great challenges we must be able to engage in thoughtful and authentic
dialogue. We have conquered outer space; our biggest challenge is conquering “inner
space.”
Taylor implores us to rethink freedom,
justice, and progress.
My cousin watched political
television every chance he gets. As a
result, every time I speak to him his response is always the same, “Society is
sleeping! People must wake up! Our country and our freedom are being taken form
us and no one is doing anything about it!”
I often assure him I am not
sleeping but am also not defaulting to a Chicken Little persona.
Even so, it would behoove us all to
understand the direction of our society rather than ignore the flow and one day
wake up unaware of your surroundings.
Levine (2009) finished the above comment
with, “Given our current military capacity for destruction, if we cannot make
the mental shift to fully engage in authentic conversation we risk the end of
life as we know it” (p. xxii).
What can you take away from this exercise to
immediately use in your career?
Taylor’s video so eloquently
presented the importance and responsibility of every citizen to “own”
empathy. To pursue a genuine concern for
others. To look at life through the
lenses of unity, equality, and compassion.
It isn’t enough to understand the need for empathy; rather, we must
extend it and activate it. Everyday.
Everywhere.
In 10 hours I’ll be sitting at my
desk on a Monday morning. I’ve watched
Taylor’s video no less than five times (listened to it twice while
driving). I am impressed with his grasp
on the human condition and the present state of society. At the end of the day though, I am not
motivated by his talk as much as I am “enlightened.” My motivation comes from another kind of
Light. It inspires me to love radically,
to serve selflessly, and to give unabashedly.
My empathy flows from a divine source.
It is not a cause; it’s a cross.
Steve
References:
Goleman, D. (1994). Emotional Intelligence. New York, NY:
Bantam Dell
Kegan, R., & Laskow, L.L.
(2009). Immunity to change. Boston,
MA: Harvard Business School
Publishing Company.
Levine, S. (2009). Getting to Resolution. San Francisco,
CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Taylor, M. (2010). RSA Animate: The
21st Century Enlightenment. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo&feature=youtu.be
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