Aviv: So here is number one: the economic stop-situation. And I ask you to consider, what do you believe is the economic stop-situation? And how might this be relevant to the inquiry in the way we framed it?
And to give you a starter, here is my starter reasoning. And again, what we are looking for are just starter considerations into each of those spaces.
So, I'm proposing that, for several decades after the World War, the Second World War, we were living in a unique time and permission, where most western democracies were experiencing significant growth and improvement in quality of life. And what you could trace as a central feature, in most of those nations, was an improved social mobility, improved quality of life, improved range of possibilities.
In the last several decades, the last 2, 3, 4 decades - it depends where you take it, some will take it to the beginning of the 70s, some will take it earlier, some will take it to the 80s, it depends how you choose to tell the story - but in the last three decades or so, even though it was still quite hidden in the decade of the 90s, because of the extraordinary bull market that was unleashed globally, because of the computing revolution, and because of the second wave of the computing revolution with internet, and because largely women came into the workforce, which was a transition from the 70s and the 80s, or the early 80s.
But what you certainly saw in the last two decades, and I propose, actually maybe three or four decades, is decreasing social mobility. And the system that worked for the many stopped working for the majority. And instead of that what was actually created was an increased separation between the haves and the have nots. And this was coupled with what became increasingly more pronounced in the 80s and into the 90s, which was the financialization of the economy, by which we mean that the financial sector became much larger than it was traditionally supposed to be.
If we look at the economy, if we look at politics, one word for me for each territory to touch upon is internal failure. For example, it would be greed to economics, and control to politics. It has been running along human history from the first moment politics came into the world and economics came into the world. So there is no solution for real if values and ethics aren’t taken into consideration.
Kyriaki Nikandrou
I am seeking to be in conversation with others in search for keys, for tools of understanding and application and for the real questions, the ones that become portals to contemplative journeys, leading to uncharted territories that feel like home.
I believe we are on a trajectory of multiple and unpredictable changes; it is up to each one of us to rise to the challenge of our times. Now, more than ever before, is the time to be true to ourselves and fulfill our potential.
Avshalom Zack
Many years ago, I woke up to the mysteries and wonders of the gift of existence. Thus, the quest for its purpose, meaning and fulfillment became a central theme of my life.
Shared with fellow pilgrims in exploring the human potential, and with gratitude and care towards Mother Earth, the well being of her many dwellers and the future.
Peter Barry
I don't think I can remember a time when I wasn't asking, Why am I here? Or wondering, What is the purpose of life? Seeking not so much to simply solve the mystery, but rather to find the settlement that comes from knowing one's place, and finding one's home, in this great unfolding.
Perhaps, then, one can become part of the living process, which sets one free to go out into the world and discover what is new, what is needed, and ask the question: How can I help?
Aviv Shahar
Aviv is the Founder of Aviv Consulting, helping leaders unleash strategic innovation, and is the author of Create New Futures: How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World Through Conversation.
