When Albert Camu had said “Life is the sum of all our choices”, his proclamation was more right than wrong.
The decisions that we make, shape our life, our society’s culture, and our relationships. The variables of different probabilities that we collectively refer to as ‘luck’ play their own role.
Whether our business is prospering or we are feeling fulfilled in our relationships, all of it boils down to some degree to our decisions. We are irrational beings. The emotional part of our brain affects our decision-making. Hence, our decisions are prone to changes. Not once, but more than once.
In essence, good decisions are central to well-being. Not only as an individual but also as an organization.
This is not a new idea. But, our culture, our environment aren’t organized around supporting this idea. It is a common experience for the past few years, especially since the increased penetration of the internet and related technologies, to witness mass reactions to an otherwise ordinary event that had taken place in a remote corner of the world. Our primordial nervous system is not adapted to this level of constant connection, stimulation, and exposure.
So what?
The challenge for us, as a society, as organizations are to find out a way through which we can cultivate a generation of individuals who are grounded in the reality. The reality is that human suffering is real and the best mode of action is to cultivate an emotionally stable culture. A population that is not easily triggered and is able to feel their emotions, absorb the learning, and work on the solutions. Only such kind of population can leave a lasting value to the world.
It is possible to turn a blind eye and act as if all is well. But in doing so, we would be committing a serious mistake which is better explained by the tragedy of commons. We are all connected, more than ever. Our individual decisions impact all of us more than ever.
This volatility of decisions of a group of people is going to impact every aspect of our lives. In fact, they’re already impacting. For example personal finance. All of us are well-versed with the GameStop saga that took place earlier this year. What does it showcase other than just tribalism and the power of the internet? The main lesson is how volatile our decisions can be. An entire generation has been cultivated which is idealistic, capable but lacks emotional stability. The internet giants have systematically disabled the users’ capacity to regulate their emotions. Emotions are keys to decisions.
The recent public listing of tech-based firms such as Zomato and their over-valuation and fanaticism provides us a glimpse of what the future holds for us.
We need to encourage the culture of consciousness. But then, the question is: if it is urgent and important, why aren’t we already talking about it with the same enthusiasm as we do for other issues? My assumption is that for most of its part, talking about it and taking an action doesn’t generate cash flow. There is no monetary or status gain for anyone: neither for businesses nor for non-profits or governments. It is unfortunate, but we have to think this through.
There are things that we do for money and status. Also, there are things that we do because they’re necessary.
It is time for us to make our decision.