Anthropology?

For some time, the collective response to pageant girls around the world evoked flippancy from the masses. Historically, during the interview portion, it seems any inquiry can and was addressed toward the general cliche of world peace. 

Seven billion humans share the same residence on this planet. A houseful of roommates could tell you how difficult it is to navigate the business of living together. We live in a world of disagreement and conflict. There are diverse opinions and differing solutions. There is economic divide and war. There is a lack of understanding and as a result of it heartache and heartbreak. 

For me, bridging gaps and finding peace in this tumultuous world is less of a cliche and more of a necessity. I work for a large corporation and I am well practiced in multi-societal interactions. My work exposes me to teams comprised of people from Greater China, North Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Africa. 

This is what I know. 

We have more in common than we think. As living beings our basic needs include food, water, rest, and the need to feel safe. As emotive beings we need to feel like we belong. We need to love and to know we are worthy of love. We are challenged and we desire accomplishment. As beings striving towards our potential, we seek to contribute to a greater good through the use of our skills and talents. Scholars have long investigated this cumulative commonality among us. 

Heretofore, I have maneuvered through some of our cultural barriers in business by reminding our team of these simple courtesies. There is a binding thread of humanity which allows us to look at each other and with little effort understand that jobs are hard, families are important, and life can be a beautiful disaster. 

These are simple learnings I took away from my undergraduate education but they will only take me so far. I am a natural educator and have been doing such in my community engagements, my religious responsibilities, and especially in my corporate commitments. I intend to learn as much as I can about humanity. 

I am in love with applied anthropology. The field is often associated with diplomacy, conflict resolution, and the public sector though I see the discipline rapidly widening. Some of the most profound differences are being asserted from corporate social responsibility efforts and from the tables of commerce. 

Previously, globalization was defined as nations coming together politically. It included bureaucrats, delegates, and magistrates. However, as organizations expand globally, there is a work to be done and it no longer falls solely on the socially educated and the politically qualified. There is a need for every man to know his neighbor especially when the boundaries of communities are ever shrinking. 

World peace is more than some government treaty or some corporate initiative. It’s a discussion and a conversation spanning generations of time encompassing the whole of humanity.