My Identity (SIM #76)
Kind, Collaborative, Intellectually Honest & Smart
I had my aunt ask me the following question: "wondering what it's like for you and your kids to carry your Jewish DNA these days?" The question has me reflecting on my identity. My guess is that one of the things that makes me unusual is that I don't strongly identify with my roots; as much as I love my family, the concept that I take great pride in my roots has always felt foreign to me. My roots are clearly a big part of who I am, but I had no choice in the matter.
I take pride in being kind, collaborative, intellectually honest and smart. Oh, and I still fancy myself fairly athletic, or as I like to say, fat and fit for an old man. I don't take pride in having Jewish or Christian ancestry or being caucasian, straight, American, handsome (lol), etc. I'm not ashamed of those things; I simply don't identify strongly with them, nor give a shit whether others are similar or different than me on those things. Of course they are a part of how I live. But my judgment of people tends to focus on where folks fit within being kind, collaborative and intellectually honest... okay, and I overindulge on judging athletic and smart, too.
I've written about intellectual honesty (SIM #10 - Intellectual Honesty) in the past and the world could use a good dose of elevating intellectual honesty as a core pillar of society. I believe intellectual honesty should underpin the search for better solutions to our disputes and challenges. In my experience in business and life, effective solutions to hard problems take critical thinking, with smart and open-minded implementation. I’ve realized what I most enjoy in the business world is problem solving, particularly when it entails a group of folks with complementary capabilities and experiences (cognitive diversity) working together to solve problems and succeed.
By relegating intellectual honesty and critical thinking to the background, our simplistic labels and identities interfere with our ability to recognize that we're all human with a lot more in common than in difference. Although modern technology has been a great enabler in many regards, it is also creating more and more fragmentation by amplifying destructive, often simplistic ideologies. It turns out that othering is a highly profitable strategy for grabbing and sustaining attention, similar to how negative political ads attacking opponents have proven to be much more successful. The economics of attention are praying on the human condition with no regard for progress; best I can tell, AI is simply going to amplify this. I'm hopeful, although not optimistic, that leaders will emerge that can cut through the noise with intellectual honesty and build more widespread trust.
Maybe the core of the important question is how do we elevate values rather than labels to take residence in our identities?
Josh