Centricity is the state or quality of being centered, centering on, or focusing on. In fact, it is typically used with another word; for example, “customer centricity” means litterally centering on customer, that is attending to the customer’s needs.
At Business and Values, we consider centricity to be an essential quality of Integrity, we call it “congruence” or “alignment” too. In this article, we will briefly expose how much not only it is important to be centered, but to be centered on “something” of tremendous value: others!
Ego-centricity.
Cogito, ergo sum: “I think therefore I am” Descartes said to himself. Without debating the correctness of this assertion, let us simply note it is egocentric, and for good reason! Descartes considering that he, alone, I, can declare himself to think, and therefore to BE. Fine!
Interdependencies and interactions.
Whatever object we study, we can only describe it – and therefore a fortiori we can only say it IS – through its interactions with other objects. Isolated, reduced to itself, an ordinary element of the universe cannot be represented by words, because these express concepts linked to interdependencies. Just try, if you’re not convinced!
*** Our dependence on the others, socially speaking, jumps at our face sometimes, when the masses rise up, strike, demonstrate and revolutionize.
*** Our dependence on the others, environmentaly speaking, jumps at our face too, when nature reminds us that she is leading the way. See tornado, virus, earthquake, and other climate change phenomenon.
*** Our dependence on the others, universally speaking, becomes evident when we meditate on Foucault’s pendulum located in the Pantheon in Paris, or when we think of our solar star which will also go out one day.
Altero-centricity. Mission.
Let us propose a new hypothesis, altero-centered for a change: “we are, interdependent and in interactions, therefore we are.”
This is another vision of the universe, and potentially a new mission for humanity, its development, and its survival: to become the musketeers of modern times: one for all, all for one, for our people and for our planet!
Know Thyself.
I loved and invested decent time and energy embracing Delphi Temple frontispiece motto Socrates took over… Especially when I was down and finger pointing in all directions, including myself! It helped me as much as it helps many of us to develop our awareness and our responsibility and, ultimately, to understand our worth AND our unity with the world:
“What is here is elsewhere, what is not here is nowhere.”
Unfortunately, some western gurus turned this precious mantra into a self-centered tropism and forgot about our essential connection towards life and others, Socrates engaged us to discover and commit to. There is no linearity here, there is no choice to make “me or the others”, since you realize this is all one and the same thing “me and the others”.
So what?
Whatever you do from now on, will benefit from this multiplication/amplification magic wand enlightment you just offered to yourself! Anything you will do for yourself will be at the benefit of others. Anything you will do for others will be at your benefit. If not, you would take the risk of back fire sooner or later. Simply speaking, “the more you give, the more you receive”. To take it a step further, the more you know yourself, and others, the better you serve yourself, and others.
Take care!
You can look at it and play with deep cynicism or with immense generosity, it does not play any matter. Just take care! And see how the back fire engine will be at play any time you neglect the others. Magic will follow. Rooted cynicism can be destroyed very quickly and permanently, deepest generosity too. Life is fragile and extraordinary, and should be taken care of in all its forms. Just take care!
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#BeyondTheSelf
#PeopleAndPlanet
#PurposeAndImpact