One of the unique characteristics of humankind is our self awareness. What does this mean? It means that we have the mental capability to reflect on our own existence and behavior in relation to our surroundings. We are conscious to what we are and what we do.

This unique capability has served us well. We have been able to reflect intensely on our own weaknesses to survive in a complex world, using our self reflecting creativity to make instruments that strengthen our position. Our self awareness has hence always been self centered to serve our individual purpose. The fact that we were blessed with thought and self reflection while the rest of the living species were not  allowed us to play for ourselves a dominant role. We developed a natural nature to seek personal benefit at expense of our surroundings.

For hundreds of thousands of years this worked fine. The size of the human population on earth was insignificant so our selfish attitude remained unnoticed as nothing claimed responsibilities. We were only conciously confronted with our own attitude when we encountered other human self centered communities. Our intellect developed also tools and instruments to concur eachother.

Today the world population is so large and the effects of our self centeredness to significant that it affects our daily routines dramatically. We suddenly become aware that our self awareness cannot just be oriented to self preservation at the expense of everything else. We now become aware that self preservation is only possible if the rest is preserved as well. If we do not preserve our surroundings we end up terminating ourselves.

If in the past we just took intellectual responsibility out of self interest we now have to take responsibility for our sustainable existence. This in depth change in attitude affects our entire nature, individually but also in government and business. When in the past all responsibility was self centered it has now moved to a univeral external scope. We do not survive by taking it all but by saving it all. That is challenging!

When one thing changes in our environment it requires a whole set of new changes to remain in balance. That is the universal law that has created also the basis for the evolution of everything and even our own existence. Now that we are conscious to such basic facts we also understand the responsibility we have to change whenever we change anything just for the sake of our own sustainable progress and survival.

There two types of changes: the ones we can do something about and the ones where we can not. The ones that are beyond our control should never even worry us. They just occur (s.a. natural desasters). We can only react to the unexpected trusting on our intellectual capacity to adapt to ever changing circumstances. The changes that we do control ourselves provide us with the responsibility to consider them within the context of the whole. This should not prevent us from acting but remind us that action always requires further action to obtain true progress.

The responsibility we carry has a social and environmental component in which we encounter ourselves. Self awareness is now placed in the context of the whole and not the individual part making us all a servant leader in a universal mission of adaptive balance. When we now improve our surroundings we will improve ourselves.

What does this mean for you and me?

1. Be aware of your own actions and mentality. What is truly valuable to you? Remember: it is not that what you have that is significant, it is what you are and do. In everything you do value what it will contribute positively to your surroundings (human and nature). If you only encounter value for yourself don’t do it, you will eventually find it will have taken something from someone else or nature and you will be made responsible.

2. Business. Place your competences at service to humankind and the planet through issue driven vision. Remember that every change induces new changes. Be creative and innovative within this servant attitude that will eventually become the image that people will become loyal to.

3. Government. Stimulate your community to be servant by taking responsibility to themselves and their surroundings. This is the true economy of values, one that is expressed in health, vitality and purpose, not in money. Be facilitating by stimulating innovations applied to society instead of punishing or regulating mistakes from the past. Don’t patronize your community but help them to be self sufficient, responsible and progressive in sustainable multidimensional wealth.

So at an individual level: be servant, work for a servant company and vote for a servant party. Be responsible for all your choices, evaluate, adjust and be responsible again.