Our Core Belief
People all over the world are struggling with burnout, a lack of purpose and feeling marginalised and separate from community. We’ve lost the magic of everyday life, and while people are sick of the grind, they also don’t know any other way. People everyday, are going to work, paying their (inflated) mortgage, having kids, going to parties, and seemingly living a good life, but under the surface they are struggling.
Despite all the privileges of the modern world, people are exhausted, dissatisfied and feeling lost and in between the old world we just came from and the new world that is emerging, especially defined by the rapid emergence of new technologies. We’re in between collective chapters - from the crazy-ness that was the beginning of the 21st century, and where we’re going next. The tools, principles and systems that got us here are not going to help us move forward. We have to find another way forwards, because if we don’t, things are only going to get worse.
When we look at work and life in the Western world, we can boil the main challenges down to a few points
a) people are burnt out from work and life
b) people are lacking purpose and drive in their everyday lives
c) we’re lacking communities we can turn to for guidance and support and
d) our systems and principles for solving these problems are out of date.
We’re prescribing pharmaceutical anti-depressants and SSRIs like they’re candy and we’re not actually confronting the truth of what’s occurring - people’s mental and emotional symptoms are the reflection of a much greater, collective loss of purpose and direction. If we don’t do something about this, our healthcare systems and our communities are going to put under even greater strain and potentially breakdown.
Imagine if our everyday lives were filled with excitement for life and work, people were fit, healthy and happy. Despite the challenges of life, people had the skills, motivation and support to tackle and address their problems and move towards their goals, with a drive that allowed them to break out of their personal malledy. We don’t need more mental health support programs, more anti-depressants or more Psychologists, we need approaches to personal healing and development that encourage people to discover and bring their unique gifts to the world. We have forgotten and lost touch with the fact that we all have a unique spirit, every one of us, and we all have a unique reason for being here. But we cannot continue to put this all on the individual to solve - we have to work together - to help each other discover our gifts and to support people to bring them into communities.
The solution is not in increasing someone’s pill count or in prescribing them more counselling sessions, the answer is in changing the way we’re approaching therapy and personal development altogether. Furthermore, personal healing can no longer be seen as seperate to collective healing - they are innately intertwined - we are all part of the same eco-system, and when one of us is suffering, we all suffer.
So what now? Let’s create a world in which people are supported to discover their unique gifts and talents and to bring them into the world. Let’s create a world where burnout is seen as a symptom of a sick society and not as some badge of honour to wear because we worked so hard that we could no longer work anymore. Let’s create communities and organisations where people are equipped with the internal and external skills and resources to tackle the challenges of life, and support people to build resilience so they can persevere through the inevitable challenges life will present them.
There is another way, and even though we don’t know all the answers yet, it’s on us to find out how we get there together. Where we’ve been is complete and if we’re not careful, where we’re going will bring us right back to this same point in 10-15 years. There is another way, and it’s time that we not only discover it for ourselves, but that we create it together too.