Written by: Silke Harvey, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The world is going through serious trauma right now, and the news has become an event that many people actively avoid because the images are just too disturbing to watch. The worst war since WW2 is raging in Europe right now. The climate crisis is real and acute. Animals and whole species are dying at an alarming rate.
But there is hope. Humans are awakening to the fact that there is a better way forward. Scientists and inventors are coming up with innovative products and services that are gentle on the planet.
Business leaders are starting to implement humane processes that improve their employees' quality of life. Women, minorities, and disadvantaged persons are being empowered in many areas. But all of this will only result in a better future if the leaders of this world, people who are in positions of influence within their companies and local communities, stand up and show others how it can be done.
Here are three reasons why the world needs innovative and forward-looking leaders right now:
The consumer society cannot continue at the rate it is going. The sheer volume of waste, and in particular plastic, that is created by almost eight billion people on this planet is choking the very life out of Mother Earth. If humans are to survive, we must invent environmentally friendly products and services that are based on plants instead of oil. We must find clever ways of applying existing technologies to ensure clean water, enough food, and healthy living conditions for every human on Earth. Many products are already being trialed. We need them to become mainstream and replace conventional polluting products and services. Bamboo toothbrushes, biodegradable plastics, hemp-based products, cleaning companies that use eco products only, technologies that can dredge the piles of plastic out of the oceans and then recycle the materials, drinking water extracted from the fog the list is endless already. We need to make these products the new normal.
Humans all over the world are suffering in the current work structures. HR processes and work ethics are still firmly based on outdated Victorian workhouse methods and beliefs. Workers are being exploited, and people are made to think that in order to survive they have to work so hard and so long that they drop dead at fifty. The hustle and bustle mentality is rife amongst entrepreneurs and the self-employed. Eighty-hour weeks and beyond are the norm, and still, people can't pay all of their bills. This is done for maximum exploitation so that the industrialists can make as much profit as possible and watch their growth rates go up every year. But this is a false hope. We are living on a finite planet, so infinite growth is an impossible and fatal dream. New ways of working and doing business are desperately needed. The life-work balance must be improved for all and it must be ensured that jobs pay enough to live on. Working conditions must be kind and flexible and encourage personal growth. Everyone must have the right to work well and earn well. Some trials, such as the four-day week, homeworking, and flexitime, are already in place or being trialed. But it's not yet enough.
Equal rights and opportunities must improve. Even though society, especially in the developed countries, has come a long way since the Suffragettes, women are still not enjoying total equality. They are still getting paid less and often find that access to certain professions and career paths is extremely difficult. Women are still a minority on most corporate boards and are expected to take on certain roles in society, such as carers and homemakers, whether they like it or not. And the situation is even worse in the developing world, where physical torture and mental abuse, forced marriages, and removal of all human rights are still a daily reality for many women. Equal rights for the LGBT+ community are also still a long distant dream in many parts of the world and disadvantaged groups, such as the poor, unemployed, or disabled, fight a daily war to get their voices heard just to survive. We are still living in a patriarchy that tries to silence anyone who does not fit the mold that the ruling elite has chosen for them. The needle has been shifting a lot in the right direction lately with new laws being passed every now and then in favor of these disadvantaged groups but a lot more needs to be done to create true equality for all humans on Earth.
If humanity is to get through this current period of turmoil, all hands are needed on deck. Those who are already awakening to a better way of living need to light the way for others to follow. They are the Torchbearers, and the world needs them to show humanity the way to a brighter future. We must stop burning down the ship we are sailing on and instead create a global society where industry and commerce no longer pollute the planet for profit, where humans are being treated fairly and can live in comfort and safety, and where all humans are treated as equals. This world is not a fantastic utopia, but a very real possibility of humanity shifting its mindset from mindless consumption to conscious living.
The author of this article, Silke Harvey, is passionate about this topic and addresses it in her latest multi-author book, Torchbearers. She is always keen to connect with innovators and pioneers in industry and commerce who are thinking on the same terms.
If you’d like to find out more about working with me, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website.
Silke Harvey, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Silke Harvey is the founder of the Inner Hippie Club and Inner Hippie Books, radio presenter, international bestselling author, Senior Level Executive Contributor at Brainz Magazine, Brainz 500 Global 2020 and 2021 honoree, and CREA Global Awards 2022 nominee. Her mission in life is to make the world a better place to live for generations to come.
Drawing on her colorful past as an energy healer, Rock’n’Roll bass player, corporate employee, and freelance financial translator, she has compiled her wealth of personal and professional knowledge into the Inner Hippie Club to help other women find joy and purpose again.
Inner Hippie Books is a natural extension of the Inner Hippie Club, providing inspirational women, thought leaders, visionaries, and change-makers with a platform, a virtual fireside, from which to create a movement of authentic storytelling that lights a path to a brighter future for humanity.
Silke is also a certified Reiki Master, Reiki Drum, and Seichem Level II practitioner, a graduate of the Diploma in Chakra Dancing and Creative Meditation, HAO Diploma in Animal Healing, and HAOK9 Massage, and a member of the Healing Animals Organisation.
She lives in the UK with her wonderful husband and rescue dog and splits her time between her cozy home by the coast in North East England and her beautiful country cottage in Bulgaria, where she is planning to run retreats.
