As I Get Older, I Know There is Enough for All

Two of The Best Women To Work With - Kerry Heeger (L) and Elana Marais (R)

I know that I am a ridiculous lefty-liberal snowflake who believes in ideological constructs that aren’t actually practical in real life. It’s fine. I’ve had enough political debate in my life to know how people feel about people like me. And you know what? I really have no issue with it. You think what you like about me, because it really is none of my business. What is my business is how I live on this earth and the good and bad that I do whilst I am here.

I’m absolutely ok with people having their own political beliefs. I fully accept that you and I can disagree about all sorts of economic approaches, structures of transformation, taxation and infrastructure. I will totally live with the fact that you may or may not like the politicians that I like. And we all agree that they are all corrupt in some way or another anyway. You see. We agree on some things after all.

I can’t accept that you believe that some people are more important than others though. I also struggle with any ideology that strips some of their dignity, rights and opportunity to live a full life, for the benefit of others/you. That’s where we can’t ‘agree to disagree’ I’m afraid. Because as much as I don’t expect you to believe what I do, I will expect us both to do no harm to anyone else. And benefitting some, whilst others suffer, is straight-up harmful. Especially when it is you that it benefits. The starting point that I want us both to begin from is the fundamental equality of all.

From there it is easy. There is enough for everyone.

Polarity of beliefs begets an ‘us-and-them’ mindset, which in turn begets hatred and division. If we all accept that everyone has an equal place, then we can all expect that reserving (or taking) more than your fair share would be wrong. Everyone should have equal access, equal rights, equal opportunity to thrive and make the most of their lives. If we all have equality in this way, then there really will be enough for all.

Some More Champions of the Workplace - Every One of Them Added Incredible Value
Mel Kriel, Shane Joseph, Margaux Knuppe, Belinda Knoll

Look at women in the workplace. The relatively tiny percentage of businesses with women as CEOs and equally represented on their executive teams, is indicative of the lack of equal access women have had to positions of corporate power over the preceding decades. I mean it is the brutal truth that women only really started to make it to middle management positions in the 1980s – whilst men held these and higher positions for all the eons before that. Thirty years can’t eradicate this inequality unfortunately, because there are too many people thinking that more for someone else means less for them.

Well, matey, women have been doing with less for EVER in the workplace. So hows about we just go with equality for now and work it from there? Isn’t that only fair? Also fellow businesswomen – I have news for you too. We are not all competing for the same seat at the table. Stop destroying the smart, dynamic women around you because you fear that they may get what you want. No one wins in this scenario, I promise you.

First of all, not everyone wants the same things that you do. And that’s superbly awesome, so settle down. Second, if you add value AND they add value, you will both succeed. If you spend all your time trying to cover up your own inadequacies, whilst trying to tear down someone just trying to add value, then they will be crushed, as planned, and you will show yourself to be the fool. You both lose.

But assuming there is enough for all that want it, well, work together. Both of you can win. And both of you can reach back and give a hand up to the next smart, dynamic person that comes along. See how it works?

We live in a world of so much abundance. So much creativity, money, privilege, opportunity, space and an infinite number of other things. There is no reason for the few to control all these things in the belief that they are somehow better or more deserving. This power is a man-made construct predicated on the belief that (mostly) straight, white men are somehow superior to everyone else. Why don’t we all just agree that we are all equal, all deserving - no matter our gender, race, choice of sexual identification, religion or class – and that if we find ourselves to be successful, that we have a responsibility to help the next person?

That’s how there is enough for all. We decide that there is and act accordingly. I will tell you a very personal perspective on this: even if you do harm me, I will never to anything to ‘get back at you’, I will simply move on and try and live my life of abundance elsewhere. It’s none of my business what you do, believe or think of me. That’s on you. And I’m not perfect either. I’ve inadvertently harmed many people, I’m sure. But every day I get up believing that we can all succeed if we can all just accept that there is more than enough for all. Try it with me.