There have been numerous leaders and heroes in the human history. Some of these influenced the destiny of their own people, and others that of the entire humanity. Be it at the local or global level, what proves a person as a leader or as a hero is their commitment to the good of not just themselves but the good of others. More often than not, this commitment comes at the cost of those heroes' own benefits. Knowing that it is their actions and not their specific identities what makes them special enables us to spread that message to everybody. What message?
It is the innate message that we want to pass from one to another, from one generation to the next, and who knows, in the future, from one planet to another. The message of peace, the declaration of connection to the common ground from which all of us are burgeoning. To spread and to implement this goodwill sounds easy, but it actually is not!
In our daily routines, by focusing on our jobs that occupy most of our time, by submitting us to the comforting arms of internet, and by detaching from those around us, we are ceasing to be conductors of the message of peace. Worse, by subconsciously doing actions that warrant our personal good exclusively, we are actually becoming evil in flesh and bone. So, the very first step in establishing peace locally and/or globally is becoming aware of ourselves, our surroundings and our interactions. Ok, but what next?
Having the intention to do good must be accompanied by a philosophy that fuels and guides our actions. Preferably, that philosophy should be a universal one so that we can share the same language with others, creating harmony. That is where the IDEAL principles come in.
The definition of life, as we know it, involves reinventing yourself so that you sustain your existence. The riches in the nature and the ever changing micro biome is a testimony to this fact. Among humans, too, innovation has been the key to not only survival but also thriving despite the changing economical and political conditions. So, a key ingredient of becoming timeless or leaving timeless edifices is innovation. Its opposite reminds all of the negativities in history: status quo, bigotry, dictatorship, impenetrable circle of the extremists, ... No wonder that the mentioned groups and the similar don't like looking at themselves critically or renewing themselves. In short, innovation at the individual, social, national and global levels are the key to prosperity for all.
2. Diversification
The greatest wealth, the most splendid beauty and the strongest weapon in the nature is diversity. It ensures sustainability, continuity, innovation and change. It fosters creativity, power and humbleness. Its opposite, sameness, is enticing due to its connotation of our comfort zones. Yes, we all need comfort zones, and those zones are useful for incubating innovation; but they become harmful if extended beyond limits. That is, unlimited comfort is an invitation to death. So, we need, at the personal level or at the organizational level, excursions between our comfort zones and discomfort zones. We must create new things, be them instruments or ideas or whatever, to warrant our own well-being and to be able to serve others we are interacting.
A subset of diversification is internationalization. With the growth of human population and the advent of the communication and transportation technologies, humanity is becoming a single family. This notion is further favored by the pressing issues about the environment and the climate. So, as we become a single family, it no more makes sense to use the political borders as impermeable walls. The recent history is a clear testimony to the fact that such isolation is only key to internal degradation on economical, educational or moral grounds.
Internationalization, on the other hand, brings the advantage of an "outside view" that can take a more objective picture of our state and the direction we are headed. We can't see ahead, if we are looking at ourselves in a mirror. Plus, expert blindness is a well established symptom, and one way to overcome that is to welcome strangers into our borders.
Overall, by opening our doors to internationalization in our personal lives or at our schools, companies and institutions, we are reversing the aging process that nears us to death. We are getting younger by welcoming the change that grows from the challenges and advantages of internationalization. Why not overcome our shortcomings and weaknesses by the genetic superiority of other fellows in our family of humanity?
3. Education
What distinguishes humans from all other creatures is their ability to learn and to share that knowledge. So, as a family, instead of learning with one brain, we can learn with billions of brains. But we must learn! Unlike the other parts of our bodies, our brains get old as we stop using it. Completely new things that give us headaches or that require focus are the pieces of knowledge that keep us young mentally. This is how we accommodate change in our personal or institutional worlds, and our hospitality returns us as a youth that never ends. In other words, education starts with birth and ends with death. But if you quit learning before you biologically die, then your brain dies, in a certain way, before you. A society of dead people only foster conflict, because they are unable to critically think and learn. Carrying a piece of information in your head is not education, rather, being the embodiment of that information is real education.
4. Authenticity
Authenticity has a few manifestations. One, it means being yourself, and not being shy or scared of showing who you truly are. On the other hand, authenticity means being truthful, even if it is not for the best benefit of yourself. So, authenticity is invitation for mutual trust, hence a sense of unity, as should be in a family. Authenticity also means being loyal to the original, and so it is a call for creativity and innovation. It sometimes means criticizing yourself or your previous thoughts and actions, so that you can come to life again from your ashes; but only if you are true to yourself and others, only if you are authentic.
5. Labor
Rewarding the work and resisting to be rewarded without work. This is what feeds the trust among people. This is what facilitates the interactions and visits among nations, and what ensures prosperity and peace for all. This is what is taught by virtually all respectable traditions around the world. Anything that undervalues or devalues is a call for theft at all levels, murder of authenticity, and suppression of diversity.
Work, and reward the work as it should be. Reward the work, as you would like to be rewarded, not according to the selfish market dynamics. Foster the trust among the employer and the employee.
