We must all step up to leadership

We are facing big challenges in the world, domestically and globally. Conflict, ecological destruction, overconsumption, inequality, and the rise of chronic disease and illness continue to plague us, as a human race. These problems are not new, however, and have been around for a very long time.

With the gradual, and then rapid, movement of people across the globe, the desire for more — more power, status and wealth — become deeply ingrained in the human psyche. A new era developed with the advent of agriculture, and the rise of civil infrastructure around 11,000 years ago. In many respects it was golden, as social, intellectual, and technological advances opened up new levels of insight and ability.

But it has also been exceptionally dark in myriad ways. With a fixation on the material world, and the resulting desire for dominion over others — other people and land — together with a devolving relationship with nature, many of the seemingly intractable problems we experience today began to take root.

Now, wealth is being centralised. The rich are getting richer. Our food systems are clearly failing. Just look at the empty supermarket shelves, and read up on the exceptionally high levels of waste. The land is being destroyed. And inequality remains prevalent across all aspects of society. Think: sexism, racism, ageism and ableism — they’re insidious and rife.

And all the intergovernmental committees, expert reports and activism in the world haven’t yet made the kind of dent we need to reduce the instances and burden of environmental disasters, gender and cultural inequality, or conflict and violence in our own backyard, let alone geopolitically. Nor have they been able to abate the rapid rise of chronic and disabling illnesses, or fundamentally improve our flailing health systems to meet people’s needs. But it’s not all doom and gloom.

It’s easy to see the worst of life, and discount the best. What makes this period of time truly remarkable, though, is that the majority of us no longer accept the failings of the past as the makings of the future. We have a voice. And we have access to more resources and opportunities than at any other time in history. The future is exceptionally bright, if we so choose it to be, and focus all of our efforts on creating it.

Incredible leaders are rising — I see it every day. They’re in the schoolyards, and sitting across from us at dinner. They’re in the supermarkets and at the petrol station. Leaders are rising in their communities, in businesses and boardrooms, and on the battlefield, right now.

They are no longer accepting silence and complacency, but are standing for the better — for truth, equality, justice, health, freedom, and sovereignty. We all have a choice and, I believe, we’re all here at this time to create a positive change. We must, because we can. We stand on the shoulders of our ancestors, and have greater access to tools, education, and support than ever before.

We are all leaders in our own lives, and the responsibility to lead, authentically, and with the future in mind, is incumbent on all of us who can. To do so, first, we have to disarm the lust for power and greed within ourselves, and confront our own shadows, for the greater good. That’s what leadership of the future demands.

No one is an island. We exist as part of an ecosystem, and we must co-operate in harmony, to break down barriers, and make the necessary strides ahead — for our children, and theirs, and for all of the living world.

This article was first published in The West Australian in Renée Gardiner’s weekly column in Agenda, 5 March 2022.