Be the Right Human
Be the Right Human
You are receiving our email a day earlier than normal because tomorrow is Human Rights Day. I for one am pretty excited about the first long weekend of the year.
Although human rights is an ancient idea, it is something that humans have gotten wrong for the biggest part of our history. Still today, there are numerous (*countless?) examples around the world of how humans are mistreated by our own species.
I’ve been thinking about the different ways we humans tend to think about our rights and three distinct variations came to mind:
- The “MY human rights are more important than yours” way: This week, a young lady told me about her experiences of working in an upmarket restaurant. The main theme of the conversation was around how poorly some of the customers would treat her and the service staff. They decided that, since they were paying a lot for their meals, their wants and needs were more important than treating these other humans with dignity and respect. We all do this (at least occasionally) if we are not careful. I was reminded recently that the full quote reads “The customer is always right, in matters of taste“, not in behaviour. Worth remembering.
- The “I am the human who is right” way: Three weeks ago we took our son on a steam train ride for his birthday. After lunch, as we got back into the cart, a fellow passenger a couple of seats down was launching into a passionate, “expert” analysis of recent events on the international political stage. Being a Saturday, I was not interested in the news at that moment. Luckily the train fired up and was loud enough to drown out that specific conversation. If you look at the way we humans speak to each other, specifically online, you would think we were moments away from ripping each other’s limbs off! All for the sake of being right.
- The “Be the right human” way: One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was given in the context of romantic relationships, but it applies to any interpersonal endeavours. The person said: “Instead of always being on the lookout for Mr or Mrs Right, rather focus on being Mr or Mrs Right.” Not in the sense of wanting to be right, but in the way of doing the right thing. I will hopefully never forget that piece of advice. This is a very cool way to think about humans and their rights: If a relationship is strained, be the one to reach out and fix it (if possible). If you see a piece of trash on your street, be the one to stop and pick it up. If your business or department is facing a challenge, be the one to come up with a solution. See a need, fill a need.
If you need some help becoming the human you want to be, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
