A635.1.3.RB - 21st Century Enlightenment

For this task, I was asked to reflect on the video titled 21st Century Enlightenment. Matthew Taylor’s 21st Century Enlightenment video talks about creating a more autonomous, self-aware, and empathic society. This video is a talk about how to shape modern values, norms and lifestyles by living, and thinking, differently in the 21st century. What he means by this is that we must discover our ignorance and consider alternative viewpoints. Taylor (2010) states “Most of our behavior is the result of us responding automatically to the world around us” (2:10). To live differently, to live more empathetically, we must pause and think before responding automatically.

For example, I might question what I truly know about a situation before judging it. I try to do this often while driving. If another driver speeds past me and cuts me off, I can automatically take offense and get upset, resort to obscene language and thoughts. Instead, I try to think about different situations that they may be experiencing causing them to rush and not obey road rules. Perhaps, they found out a loved one is in the hospital and they are trying to get there quickly. "When you actively focus on uncovering your ignorance, you realize you are often wrong" (Elder & Paul, p. 47). Thinking differently and considering alternate viewpoints will shape how we respond and live our lives.  

In the video, 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" (4:10). We often assume whatever we believe to be "right". However, "much of what we believe is based on prejudice, bias, half-truths, and sometimes superstition" (Elder & Paul, p.47). We must resist this tendency practice intellectual humility, routinely questioning our beliefs.

I experienced this often as an Tech School instructor. As a seasoned Staff Sergeant, a line number to promote and eight years experience I thought teaching would be easy and that the students would have limited experience. Without knowing my students, I judged them as untrained, incompetent and young. I considered the "kids" or "trainees" and went into teaching with this bias. "We are biased as a result of faulty perception and now we treat the event or person as though the negatives we've identified are the sum total of the person or event, who or which don't treat any other way" (Wignall, 2016). 

However, through my three years of teaching I got the privilege to teach nearly 200 students with a diverse spread of knowledge, experience and skills. I got the opportunity to meet and train Airmen who had been cooks, pilots, mechanics, engineers, and semi-professional athletes. McKay, Davis, & Fanning explain that during unfamiliar situations our brains jump to conclusions based on past experiences. (p.192) This is called generalization of expectations. Before getting to know my students I was them as "kids", afterwards I realized my prejudgments were far from right. 

Along with intellectual humility and understanding that we are not always right, we must practice intellectual empathy. "Intellectual empathy requires us to think within the viewpoints of others, especially those we think is wrong" (Elder & Paul, p. 55). 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. Although this may seem difficult, it is possible through simple strategies. For example, during discussions with others you can summarize what each other is saying or put look at the situation from different viewpoints. We, as individuals and as a society, need to put ourselves in the place of others to genuinely understand them.

At the end of the video, Taylor talks about atomizing people from collaborative environments and the destructive effect on their growth.  For our organizational change efforts, this could apply to public education systems – a need to re-conceptualize its mission to reflect this period of human growth, development, and evolution. Taylor is also referring to the collaborative actions of humans. This will take everyone putting aside their differences and working together, much like a colony of ants. One ant will not be able to make a change, but the colony working together will have a much greater effect. In an organization no individual is self-efficient, so it will take a collaborative effort to make a change.  Once again, we need to think about how we think, using a collaborative approach to change. 

I enjoyed Matthew Taylor’s video as it has taught me the overall importance of humility and empathy and how we should help others to be empathetic as well. I must be conscientious of how I react to situations and understand sometimes there is no right or wrong, just different. The video also taught me that we all have the control of our thoughts, and changing the way we think could change the way we live.

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experimental Approach to Organizational Development (8 ed.). Upper Saddle River, Pearson Education, Inc.
Elder, L., & Paul, R. (2013). 30 days to better thinking and better living through critical thinking: A guide for improving every aspect of your life. Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT Press.
McKay, M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The communication skills book. Oakland: New Harbinger Publications, Inc
Taylor, M. (2010). RSA ANIMATE: 21st century enlightenment. The RSA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AC7ANGMy0yo
Wignall, D. (2016, September 7). Seeing is believing, but is it accurate? Retrieved from http://suindependent.com/seeing-is-believing-selective-perception/