Image Courtesy of Michael Cote
Given the infinite quantities of information vying for our attention, I've had a personal dilemma with where to focus. So, where is best to zone in? Of course, the answer to this question hinges on the person and how they're uniquely equipped to make an impact. Personally, I have an interest at the macro social level, however, I've found four crucial areas to clarify and give ongoing attention. Apply the 80/20 rule here. I'd argue that everyone, regardless of their main focus, should seek clarity in these areas and use them as keys to understanding the greater whole. In addition, I believe that views on these four areas comprise the quad-cornerstones to every human beings worldview, which serves as the guidance (sometimes implicitly) to their lives. These four areas very simply are:
God (or a higher power)
Self (or the individual)
Others (or humanity)
World (or life's contextual landscape)
My observation is that one's views of God determines the general pathway of their life. Ask someone "why" a few times about the ways they live and the answers always dig to this final layer. Here are a few common topics - the existence of God, the nature of God, God's role in the world today, etc.
My key on this subject is leadership. If you want to understand the nature of God, look at the most effective positive influencers of history. If you want to understand how to lead better, study the nature of God. And, if you want to better understand an individuals perspective of God/non-God, look not at their words but at their behaviors. There's no doubt, we are all leaders, influencing each other and driving agendas of some sort. Our approach to leadership hinges on our beliefs. Do we believe in God? If not, what does the coding of the world reveal about how to impact others? If we believe in a God, what's the nature of this being? Being the original leader, what is this God's motivation for creating us, and how does that shape our approach? If we want to be better leaders, it's crucial that we clarify here.
The second worldview cornerstone is the self. Obvious as it may seem, it's worth a rudimentary reminder that the human organism is the pinnacle of earth's components, at least from our perspectives, since we are living as humans. With that comes great responsibility for stewardship which depends upon whom? All of us, but we each live as... well.. us. So, it starts with oneself. The way we view our role motivates (or even demotivates) the paths we choose.
My key to the self is neuroscience, especially with a spin toward behavioral psychology. If you want to understand the individual, it's important to start with strong evidence, and a key to that is the insights of neuro-psychology. See, traditional psychology has been criticized by harder sciences for leaning too heavily on qualitative research. Neuroscience bridges this gap by mapping brain activity with observed behaviors. As I kid, I imagined a future technology that would map a brain to give a sort of omniscient look at the moment-by-moment decisions a person had made over the course of a lifetime all at once. We're not quite there, but we're getting close. If you want strong insights on everything from uniqueness's, behaviors, and motivations to our optimal environments, social networking, and emotional responses, check out this field.