A635.1.3.RB_21stCenturyEnlightenment_LouBeldotti

A635.1.3.RB

21^st Century Enlightenment

            After viewing the video, I am asked to reflect on the following questions in a well-written post on my Reflection Blog. I have not simply listed and answer the prompts.  Instead, I have written my blog and incorporated my thoughts into my reflection.  I have made certain to incorporate my own experiences into my reflection.

Here are the prompts:

• Why do you think the talk is titled 21st Century Enlightenment?
• What does Matthew Taylor mean when he says "to live differently, you have to think differently"?
• At one point in the video (4:10), Taylor argues that we need "to resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange". What is he talking about? Can you think of an example within your company or your life that supports this point?
• Taylor argues that our society should eschew elements of pop culture that degrade people and that we should spend more time looking into what develops empathetic citizens. Would this be possible?
• At the end of the video, Taylor talks about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth. What are the implications of these comments for organizational change efforts?
• What can you take away from this exercise to immediately use in your career?

Once you have reflected upon these questions, list any other questions or insights that have come to you as a result of this exercise.

            So, what the heck is enlightenment?  My take is suddenly understanding something as if a switch was flipped inside my head.  An “a-ha” moment.  Something that has convinced me to change my mind or opinion. 

            I believe Taylor refers to his video as “21^st Century Enlightenment” because he makes a comparison to the 18^th century…over 300 years prior.  In the 18^th century technology, as we know it, did not exists.  Homes were lit with candles or oil and heated with fireplaces or stoves.  There were no phones, let alone cellular phones.  Transportation was by foot, wagon or buggy.  Technology such as the locomotive didn’t come to until the 19^th century along with the automobile which didn’t make an appearance until the late 19^th century.  Food was preserved with salt.  Clothing was washed by hand and dried on a line.  Education was not required.  People died younger.  Medical science was barbaric and dentistry hardly existed.  I assume those were pretty smelly times.  People behaved differently and their values were completely different.  The law was often taken into one’s own hands and there was no regret for killing an offender or dueling to the death for the hand of a woman or property.

            Life was simple.  An individual’s sphere of influence was not far reaching.  An individual’s circle of friends was small. 

            However, as we progressed, it was absolutely necessary to begin thinking differently.  If not, one would fail to progress.  According to Taylor, “I do favor the view that we need to live differently in the 21st century and as the architects of the Enlightenment understood.  To live differently involves thinking differently.  It involves seeing the world and ourselves from a new perspective and critically examining what enlightenment values have come to mean to us.”  (Taylor, 2010)

            As a people, we tend to believe what we want to believe.  According to Taylor, “resist our tendencies to make right or true that which is merely familiar and wrong or false that which is only strange.  Now the good news, and it is really good news, is that there's every reason to believe that we can expand empathy’s reach despite major departures from the trend.” (Taylor, 2010)

            I was born in 1964.  Things were much different then than they are today even over the course of 50 years.  As a school teacher I see the trends and values of children that has me shaking my head.  Technology and pop culture have dramatically changed the landscape in the 21^st century.  Yes, there is an awakening but it is terribly skewed from the way I want to see it.  Taylor is right.  Taylor states, “Popular culture inclines us to think of other people. For example, a culture which prized empathy would be one which distinguish the healthy activity of public disagreement from the unhealthy habit of public disparagement has become a cliché that education is the most valuable resource in a global knowledge.”  (Taylor, 2010).  Education is important but so is life lessons.  Sadly, the only life lessons that the youth of today learn is from pop culture, celebrities, social media, YouTube and the media.  Again, they believe what they want to believe.  Change will be difficult.

            As a school teacher, my colleagues and I are very like-minded.  We have two common goals…educating our students and graduating them after four years.  Because of this, we are constantly collaborating.  For an organization to change, they must evolve to stay current.  To do this, all stakeholders must come on line.  If they do not, there will be system failure within the organization.

            Finally, I enjoyed the video immensely and as a take away, I plan on being more observant of my surroundings and how they affect how I perform my duties as a school teacher.

Reference

Taylor, M. (2010, August 19). RSA Animate: 21^st Century Enlightenment. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo