Por Katia del Rivero

This is our las reflection of the month and we want to close the theme we chose for April about childhood behaviors that might prove useful to face the world and its future.
In this article we want to address a key aspect, at least from our point of view.
A world of “I”
When we observe the performance evaluation models in companies there is no doubt that we live in an “I” world, a world where individual results are the ones that count.
Even the “most advanced” models where 360º factors are taken into consideration, the model is still designed to measure individuals, to rate and be rated. It is not a collective evaluation in which all are valued together and share the responsibility.
Most of schools and universities, except maybe a couple of very innovative models, what is recognized is the individual performance.
Even in families, when a member experiences a situation that we might call challenging like drug abuse, alcoholism or criminal activities, we don’t think the whole family has a problem, we think the problem is the person, the individual.
Our orientation towards “I” is not only about what we consider adequate as society, it also includes everything that seems inadequate, because we don’t see ourselves as co-responsible of the situation. It’s them, the drug addicts, the robbers and alcoholics the ones doing something that is no appropriate.
A study by Gerald Hüther
This German neurobiologist did a study on a group of babies. He showed them a video depicting a person trying to climb a mountain. Shortly after someone appears and tries to stop the climber and then someone else tries to help him.
After watching the video they offered to the six months old babies to choose from two toys which were identical to the ones shown in the video. 100% of the babies chose the toy that had helped the climber in the video.
Six months later, the studio was repeated with the same children, same video and same toys. 20% of the children chose the toy who had tried to stop the climber. What happened? What can we conclude from this video?
It seems we come equipped for collaboration. In some part of our biology we know theres no chance for survival unless we do it collectively. At least thats what the six month old babies shown, their socialization process was still too basic.
What happened during the following six months? Their socialization process, meaning what they experienced in the world they live in, taught them that in order to survive is more useful to attack than to help. In only six months they learned the survival mode of “me first, me second, me at last”.
Back to the essence
Sooner or later we realize as adults that we requiere others in order to survive. The point is that it might seem very late for some of us because we have no idea how to do that after spending too much time living through a model of individual competition.
We have forgotten the basic skills of asking for help, request backup, walk together and finding mutual benefits. Today, there is a common idea in the scientific world that states the way of surviving the future ahead of us is by collaboration, by building as a collective.
If you have stepped away from this chance, I invite you to:
- – Ask for help. You might be surprised by the response and disposition of others.
- To consider that if you have a problem, someone else also has a problem. If you don’t do something, or even if you do it late, for sure it will affect someone else.
- To identify those who contribute to the purpose you wish to achieve. Clarify, agree and recognize their value and contributions. This is more magical than the most advanced technology out there.
So, using as a pretext that this week we celebrated Children’s Day, I invite you to gift yourself the reincorporation of four characteristics from your childhood that might help you live a more satisfying life:
- How can you do differently what you do?
- Try again with those you’ve had a difference
- Use a functional way in relation to the purpose, instead of a right-wrong approach
- Remember you’re not alone. And if you are, you can always start to build with someone else.
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