Showing posts with label me to we. Show all posts
Showing posts with label me to we. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Book Review: Me to We


Me to We-Finding Meaning in a Material World by Craig and Marc Kielburger discusses the nature of transcendence from the Me mentality to that of We. It is a process of mini-enlightenments about the nature of oneself, the nature of the world, and the ideologies that limit greater civilizations. This awareness opens a greater perspective to the possibilities that come from thinking beyond oneself. 

The story starts in childhood where a few simple thoughts of why some suffer and why poor choices are made enter consciousness. As the child grows into adulthood this awareness becomes clearer and action is taken to improve upon the world. Eventually, one comes to the conclusion that we cannot change the world in one swoop and we resign ourselves to those little things that count. We learn how to enjoy our lives and do the best we can to improve the world around us. 

A great portion of people live in the Me mentality. These approaches to life means that choices are made that are primarily self-consuming and selfish by nature. People make choices that benefit them the most with little concern for others. The end result is a world of people pushing, impacting and damaging each other. No one wins!

The We mentality is obtained by those who think beyond themselves. It is a process of understanding that one is in the world with other people and has responsibilities to make choices that not only help themselves but also help others. The We approach is a process of understanding that when we work together and have empathy for one another we have the potential to transform our environments. 

The book is written in personal testimonial form based within the experiences and understandings of the authors. They are involved in saving the children from the blight of this world and contribute to various newspapers (1). Their experiences and knowledge led them to helping children around the world and starting educational programs to improve lives.  If we learn anything from this book is that by working together 2014 can be better than 2013. Where would we be in 2040 if we work together?

It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of people joined in”-Rosa Parks. 

Kielburger, C. & Kielburger , M. (2013) Me to We-Finding Meaning in a Material World. NY: Simon & Schuster.