SΩ12 - Our Global Impact

Beauty and chaos exist side by side in this world. Having children is a perfect example of this. It’s a complex balance of showing one’s child the best of the world and at the same time preparing them for all the uncertainty and hurdles to come. When parents are unable to remain together it opens an entirely different beast. Looking back on my childhood, I do feel my parents prepared me for this world.  Yet I believe they could have handled their separation differently. Reflecting back, I believe that had they dealt with it as a team and supported one another, it would have been far better for all. However, the past is the past and so I’ll focus on what came from it: my desire to help others.

I think as a child this ambition developed unconsciously, sparked by my parents’ separation. Digging through some of my previous texts, I came across a snippet I wrote at 19: “I will try my best to better society & make it livable for my children and the generations to come”. Although I have no recollection of what this piece was about, this message still rings true.

For me it seems clear that if humanity wishes to progress it must develop a collaborative environment. Although that has been clear to me for many years the way to reach this has developed over the years. During my university years, I was certain that bringing technology, like solar energy, to underprivileged countries was my calling. After university I realized that although this will help, it’d only make a tiny dent in improving societies ways.

Another realization was that the world’s inequalities, in many ways, have been created by society, especially due to trade & capitalism. Remember that we are globally connected and many of our actions have a direct/indirect impact on other people in the world. Shortly after moving to Barcelona I had a eureka moment: education was the answer! Children are key to building a truly collaborative society. What we teach our children shapes the global boundaries they perceive and follow.

 

Yet the reality is that although I believe in helping others and a collaborative society, my knowledge is limited on how to do this successfully. To educate myself, I’ve been finding ways to help others. To further this this knowledge, I created ‘The Project’. In a nutshell, I ask people to anonymously submit a problem and I try my best to provide advice/suggestions to solve it. Last month I asked 7 people to test it. Here are the 5 abridged queries I received:
  - How can I help the Syrian refugees?
  - What is the most efficient way of finding one’s calling in life?
  - What is the best way to help others?
  - How to budget if wages are fixed & living costs keep increasing?
  - Should I date, if I’m still uncertain of where I want to live?
You’ll find the detailed problems and suggestions here: The Project

My findings thus far are quite revealing. Here are my observations & follow-up questions:
  - People seem reluctant to ask for & accept help from others
     - Why do people feel they need to solve their problems alone?
     - What’s the best way to offer someone help, if you don’t know his/her problem(s)?
  - How we help people can differ from what someone needs
     - How can we improve the way we help others?
  - Helping others can feel amazing, especially if we know we’ve helped
     - How can we encourage people to provide honest feedback?
     - Why is appreciation difficult to come by?

Now I’m opening ‘The Project’ to the public! If you believe in a collaborative society, voice your ideas, feedback below in the comments. Also, if you need help with a problem, post your burning problems & queries here: The Project Form. For now, I'm accept 10 queries per month.