Somedays our culture is so preoccupied by what is going to happen that we lose sight of what is happening. The rush to make things better clouds our eyes of what impact we are having right now. The rapid pace of daily living has caused many to no longer stop and smell the roses but to figure out a way to make the roses smell more so we don’t have to stop our hurried pace. Take time to slow down and smell the roses.
Our culture is ever evolving. The ebb and flow in various directions adds many dynamics to the reality we all navigate. Some days the reality can get pretty grim, and we might just feel like it really should not be this bad. We can either choose to be sucked down the rabbit hole of bitterness or we can choose to see the light and be hopeful that tomorrow will be brighter than the current moment in time.
In a society that is so often self-concerned we need to be open to seeing others for who they are and not what we want them to be. We may or may not agree with what or who they want to be recognized as but that does not make them any less of a human being. Allow them to be who they are and hopefully they will allow you to be who you are.
It is one thing to get up in the morning and go to work. It is another thing to get up in the morning and hop out of bed to race to perform your very best at your chosen work activity. One of the ingredients for this to happen is for you to be engaged in an organization that aligns with your personal culture. Feeling like you are recognized, and your contribution is acknowledged is additionally part of the business cultural fit we all seek.
At JKL Associates we take the 4th of July to celebrate the freedoms this great nation allows each of us to partake in. Our Freedoms, Our Constitution, Our Bill of Rights should never be twisted or contorted to achieve individual or selective groups agendas.
The founding fathers of this great nation – The United States – understood that we would have differences. The items in our Constitution and Bill of Rights are a testament to them being able to forecast our future and hopefully protect us from ourselves. At the same time providing for the richness of a multi-cultural experience giving opportunity to all who elect to invest themselves into their future.
So, the summer equinox has arrived again. We have circled the sun another 365 days to bring us back to the start of summer. It is a good time to pause and reflect on the past year. Not in the light of New Year’s resolutions but through the lens of values and contributions. Our culture blossoms when the people inside of it have solid positive values and those directly contribute to the growth of us individually and collectively.
Today is “Flag Day” and We the People must stand up and raise the flag of freedom we all live under here in the United States. We may not always agree. We likely will promote various agendas. We have the right to voice our opinions in productive peaceful ways. We all still have these privileges, these freedoms under the banner of our American Flag. Let us never forget what it truly represents.
As a society our culture is overflowing with various obsessions. From sports fanatics to political agendas all the way to what beverages or food we drink and eat can all fall into the obsessions of our current point in time. Oddly enough we are not obsessed with the real welfare of those around us. The need for self-gratification has grown so intense that it has surpassed the fundamental respect for other people.
Although we may view our celebration of Memorial Day as the unofficial start of summer, we need to appreciate that our remembrance of Memorial Day signifies that our society does not forget those who have given life and limb so that our culture cannot just sustain but grow in respect for all humanity.