Stress in a Society
WHOA! Time to pull on the reins and think about a new direction. The Steven Slater flight attendant fiasco is just a symptom of over-the-top stress in a society that is floundering in thinking through which ways to head for health and well-being.
The question is way past “whose side are you on?” It is about what changes do we need to make for all of us to lead productive lives? All leadership programs, all business executives, all educators, all health care professionals, all politicians, all of US need to consider this question that is not often asked.
Trouble is, it is easier to attack the symptoms rather than attempt to create change at a more fundamental level.
People are already taking sides, yea or nay, and comedians are having a field day about four letter words, beer, and using air shutes as a slide. But the real issue is the loss of civility in how we talk and treat each other, and what kind of future we are creating moment by moment with all the fear, violence, and polarization in our daily lives.
Problems are dealt with in isolation and made into sound bites of clever comments. We are so busy being for or against, we forget the issues and the real people in the dramas. The flight attendant will have his fifteen minutes of fame and then go back to his stressful problems. What, if anything, will we have learned from watching his pain and angst played out in the media?
He, and we, cannot search for life meaning or fill the void of empty work or personal relationships by craving more and more fame, power, money, or vacuous “love”. We all need a whack on the side of the head to help us say ENOUGH and maybe, just maybe, we can all become accountable for how we treat each other, and really get that we are all connected.
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