10 Quotes by Rodrigue Tremblay on How to Create a Better Global Civilization

10 Quotes by Rodrigue Tremblay on How to Create a Better Global Civilization

Global Problems Call The Need For A Worldwide Human Family With the current globalization of our problems, we need to extend our circle of empathy and view humanity as a worldwide extended human family. As long as we refrain from facing that challenge, divisiveness and unsolvable conflicts will persist. –Rodrigue Tremblay, in “Rodrigue Tremblay C.V. on The Code for Global Ethics”   The Need To Establish A Higher Threshold Of Human Morality [In a more universal civilization], first and foremost, the scope of human empathy would be more universal and more comprehensive, and would not merely apply to some chosen people, to members of a particular religion or to persons belonging to a particular civilization. In practice, this would require that we establish a higher threshold of human morality, beyond the traditional norm of the Golden Rule (“Treat others as you would have others treat you.”) It would require that we adopt what I call a Super Golden Rule of humanist morality that incorporates the humanist rule of empathy: “Not only do to others as you would have them do to you, but also, do to others what you would wish to be done to you, if you were in their place.” — Of course, the corollary also follows: “Don’t do to others what you would not like to be done to you, if you were in their place.” –Rodrigue Tremblay, in “For a Better Global Civilization”   Empathy, Tolerance & Sharing Three interrelated moral imperatives that have always been sound moral values, but which I feel will become increasingly required for humanity to go forward and survive. And...
31 Quotes by Scientists and Thinkers on Humanity’s Interdependence and Today’s Challenges

31 Quotes by Scientists and Thinkers on Humanity’s Interdependence and Today’s Challenges

We are, first of all, not solitary creatures and second of all, we are deeply embedded in the lives of others. It’s very easy to forget that and to engage in an atomistic fallacy — where we think that all we have to do is study the individual components of a system in order to understand the system. That’s clearly not the case when it comes to social systems. –Nicholas Christakis, in “Q&A with Nicholas Christakis: Our modern, connected lives” If a few nations step forward and begin changing the narrative of ‘us and them’ to ‘everyone,’ we will see a new dawn. If a few nations begin actually making operational a verification system we can all depend upon and push to bring all into such a system, we will all benefit. –Jonathan Granoff, in “A Good Framework for a Good Future” A social network is a kind of human superorganism, with an anatomy and a physiology — a structure and a function — of its own. Our local contributions to the human social network have global consequences that touch the lives of thousands every day and help us to achieve much more than the building of towers and the destruction of walls. –James Fowler, in “Social Network Guru” Many problems that challenge us today can be traced back to a profound tension between what is good and desirable for society as a whole and what is good and desirable for an individual. That conflict can be found in global problems such as climate change, pollution, resource depletion, poverty, hunger, and overpopulation. –Martin Nowak, in “SuperCooperators: Altruism, Evolution, and...
How the Average American’s Life Is Entrusted to Over 2,000 People Per Day

How the Average American’s Life Is Entrusted to Over 2,000 People Per Day

According to a new report from the National Institute for Safety Management, on any given day, the average American’s life is entrusted to more than 2,000 different people who are complete strangers.   The report, which shows how any one of these anonymous individuals making a single mistake can easily cause another person’s death, concluded that it is only through sheer luck that anyone ever makes it through a 24-hour period alive.   “People you don’t know and will never even meet—food-safety regulators, bridge inspectors, whoever installed the gas lines in your home—ultimately have the power to decide whether you live or die,” the report read in part. “We have no choice but to trust that these individuals are always being very careful and know exactly what they’re doing.”   “Which is of course something we have no way of actually knowing,” the report added.   Jacob Drummond, a spokesman for NISM, unveiled a staggering list of strangers responsible for a person’s life each day, which includes everyone from officials who make sure there aren’t deadly toxins in the air we breathe, to construction workers who precariously hoist building materials over pedestrians’ heads, to motorists who stay focused and don’t veer into oncoming traffic during the rush-hour commute. –“Report: Life Put In Hands Of 2,000 Complete Strangers Every Single Day,” in The...
2 Studies Showing How Acts of Kindness Increase Happiness

2 Studies Showing How Acts of Kindness Increase Happiness

An experiment published in PLOS ONE showed that when 9- to 11-year old kids were asked to do acts of kindness for several weeks, not only did they get happier over time but they became more popular with their peers.   And another big intervention we just finished at a company in Spain showed that asking some employees to be generous to a randomly chosen list of colleagues (we called this our “Secret Santa” manipulation) produced huge benefits (for increasing happiness, connectedness, flow, and decreasing depression) not just for the givers, but for the receivers and even for observers. The recipients of kindness “paid the kind acts forward” and even acquaintances of the givers became happier and were inspired to act more generously themselves. –Sonja Lyubomirsky, in an interview with Gretchen Rubin, “We Have Found That Almost Any Types of Acts of Kindness Boost Happiness.”   Image: "Ripple" by Taro...
Got to Believe: I Believe Project [Music]

Got to Believe: I Believe Project [Music]

As a songwriter I always felt a huge responsibility to write something from my heart that would add to the world and make it better place for all.   Finding Mutual Responsibility and the Roundtable Live Project showed me that others felt this same concern and had found a way to work towards making it a reality.   “Got To Believe” is a song that was born out of this inspired awareness and belief that together we really can start to make a difference and change our world. –Deb Zemke,...
Alicia Keys – We Are Here [Video]

Alicia Keys – We Are Here [Video]

Enjoy this new song by Alicia Keys with a humanitarian message. This is what she wrote on her Facebook page: “A MESSAGE FROM “ALICIA KEYS” – The day I wrote this song, I was sitting in a circle of people of all ages and we were asked, “Why are you here.” Why am I here?? This really hit me on a deep level. I realized no one had ever asked me that question before. As I prepare to give birth to a new child, I can’t help and think about the world I’m bringing my baby into. No matter where we come from, when we see the state of the world today, we can all feel the growing frustration and desire to make a difference. And we all have a voice – we just need to know how to make it heard. I have a vision that I believe is more than a dream, that I know can be our reality. I believe in an empowered world community built on the true meaning of equality – where we are all considered one people, regardless of race, religion, gender, zip code, belief system or sexual orientation. I believe all of our voices should be heard, so that our representation reflects our population. We need our leadership to reflect an equal balance of the gifts that both men and women have to offer. I believe in a world where every child born receives a quality education – where their unique gifts are nurtured so that they may be a beneficial presence in this world. I believe in mutual respect and cooperation among...