Acceptance and..

The bible tells us stories to help us understand and conform to certain norms which allow us to live together. If it weren’t for the social agreements we hold with each other, human kind might already be extinct.

These agreements are fragile and from great generalities to very clear specifics, we decide as individuals which we will conform and follow vs ignore.

As there are societal shifts, we start to lean in on an idea of moral preference. Moral preference literally destroys social norms. When people don’t recognize something that feels normal to them, they react in unexpected ways.

What is happening in America and around the world in some cases is the proliferation of visibility. Where social norms always disintegrated and literally fell apart was always with the individual. The difference today is that we now can see the individual.

Do you understand? First we had basic communication and agreements. Then we had word of mouth. Then we had the written word. The written word became almost global. These were still limited to the few that had an ability to write, publish and read.

In my last post, I shared how Khan was able to control his world. It was communication networks. The networks enforced standards and rules. Some of these were by fear and some were for prosperity.

At the individual level, we accept the rules and we live day to day with them. How do you know this is true? The government is making rules and carrying them out as they see fit. Only a small percentage of the population is taking any action to fight them.

This is how the system works.

What we think is right doesn’t matter and..

We are in the box, we are born into the box. We are expected to accept the rules. We accept the rules or we get punished. At the same time, we can find cracks and hacks in the social construct. We can break through. It isn’t impossible but it takes effort.

This week, I read “Who will cry when you die” by Robin Sharma again. This time I did something different with the book and I think it is important to share. Much of what was written by Sharma focused on words that mattered to him. He reflected about words and their power. As I read the book, I highlighted in pencil in pen areas that I thought were important. I wrote in the pages and added my own thoughts. Years ago, when I first read “Tao of Pooh” by Ben Hoff, I gave the book to my mother. She underlined passages and wrote in the book. She didn’t keep it, she gave it back to me as a gift with her added commentary. The words she shared, they were powerful and they had an impact on my life. In the Sharma book, as I wrote, I thought about my children and what I want to share with them.

I can’t do so much for the system, but I can do limitless things for you. I can write in the margins. I can underline the passages that matter. I can pass the book to you with my thoughts embedded in it, so when you read, you also hear my voice.

This is where the system bends. Not at scale. Not through platforms or governments or global networks. It bends in the small space between one mind and another. In a book passed from son to mother and from mother to son. In a father writing notes for his children. In the moment someone reads your words and thinks differently.

The norms will continue. The networks will enforce their rules. The box remains. But you right now, reading this are proof that the individual still matters. That one voice reaching one mind can shift everything. That’s not acceptance of defeat. That’s acceptance of where the real work happens.

Write in the margins, and save the world.