As I sit here in the dark watching an afternoon thunderstorm in Tucson, Arizona, the events of the day again remind me of the fragility of our society and the sometimes tenuous nature even of our continuing existence. How is it that we are still going on Planet Earth — despite everything that is going on around us today? War in the Middle East, the Ukraine War, the massive summer heat wave, dying coral reefs, massive wildfires, and the list goes on. It’s a rather odd time to be alive, don’t you think?
If we’re going to make it through all of this, we need to make some collective decisions. I’m not talking about political leaders or diplomats making the decisions. I’m talking about you and me. So again I ask, what are the ties that bind us together? I’ll begin by saying that we have to recognize each other’s common humanity. We’re all going through this together and despite our differences, we have much more in common than we typically think.
The first thing that I think we need to reestablish amongst us all is trust. Trust that we aren’t all out to get each other, climb on top of each other, or to scramble through the rat race to be ‘better’ than ‘them’. That’s all a subterfuge, anyway, and diverts us from our commonness. Trust is the glue that really does hold us all together. Trust that we can all life a happy, healthy life. Trust that we can help each other. Trust that the common good is better than the ‘me, me, me’ mentality. Trust that what is good for you is also good for me. But, having and maintaining trust does take an effort.
The other glue that holds us together is communication. It’s oft said that half of the world’s problems would go away if we just took the time to talk with each other, not at each other. To make the effort to understand our colleagues, to have empathy, and to gain at least a glimpse of what it’s like to be someone else. The human experience is not an easy experience, even with the modern conveniences of today. It’s far easier to assume things, to misunderstand, and to not make an effort than the opposite.
I say all of this in the context of me being just another human and as someone trying to build a business. Starting a new venture these days is tough and I can attest to that. Establishing trust takes times. Communicating clearly and authentically through it all is also a necessity. Not all businesses do this and many do not do it well. I suppose all I can say is that I’m doing the best I can to not just build a company or a brand, but an enterprise and a community that values trust, values communication, values the common good. After all, our vision is to help people explore and protect the oceans of the world. That cannot be accomplished alone.
These are the thoughts I want to share with you today. As this message zooms through the ether of the Internet to you, the hope is that it may resonate with you. Now is the time to make an extra effort and that is a responsibility on us all. Be well.