The One World | The One Thought for a Better Tomorrow

Soch’21: The One World

It has been heartening to witness the enthusiastic response to Soch ’21, the article writing competition, with more than 1,000 registration so far. This promising open event is a part of Prabandhan at IIT Kanpur, the flagship management conclave, with From The Experts’ Mouth (FTEM) as the Event Partner. Soch ’21 gives space to millions of minds to write about The One Thought to make a better tomorrow. This contest duly approaches with five themes, and in this post let us examine how we can envisage The One World for a better tomorrow.

As the world grapples with the monumental challenges posed by the pandemic, the dream of global oneness looks more distant than ever. Measures taken at country level cannot address the global scale and complexity of the crisis; global solidarity is the only way out. So, this unprecedented situation calls for a new, revolutionary approach towards realizing our goal of The One World.

How can we build The One World of our dreams?

Despite being inundated with a gazillion career and family responsibilities, we often find ourselves arrested in our thoughts of lacking a greater meaning and purpose in life. If we look around we will find several issues in our own community waiting to be addressed for years. For instance, educational and healthcare inequalities have fractured the fabric of our society and led to acute unrest, boiling for ages. If we resolve to bring about a difference by taking even a tiny step, it can have a far-reaching impact. And that’s it, that can be our goal – To realize the change we have yearned for a state that is kinder, safer, greener and calmer.

Now that gives our life a whole new perspective, doesn’t it?

All we need to do is, put an end to our conversations around what we can and should do, and start taking actions. The concept of the butterfly effect beautifully demonstrates that every small step matters, and that’s what holds incredible significance in our quest for The One World that we want for our future. What is that one step that you would want to take for creating the world that you envision? How would you take the lead?

Here are a few prompts to trigger your thoughts about The One World of your dreams.

A Conscious Approach towards Sustainability

We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.
Chief Seattle

This famous quote sends out a strong message appealing to the people of the world to look after the planet so that it can be bequeathed to the coming generations in good condition. We are in the phase where all our wrongdoings towards the environment are boomeranging back to us in the form of unprecedented catastrophes. It is quite evident that these burgeoning issues can’t be solved by the government alone. We have to step up and take charge at an individual level.

For example, imparting lessons on mindfulness to young minds can make them more aware of the environment they inhabit and thus make them empathetic towards other living beings to whom the planet equally belongs. Allocating children’s little DIY projects involving recycling, planting, composting, etc. will instill in their minds a sense of responsibility and will channel their enthusiasm towards the greater good for the global community.

How do you think conscious living and sustainability can be achieved to fulfill our vision of The One World? What according to you are some indispensable tools that can help us create The One World that our forefathers envisioned for us?

From Diversity to Meta-Diversity

So what does the picture of The One World look like? The answer is simple – A global inclusive society, that celebrates diversity and fosters a culture of peace through intercultural initiatives. A global community based on a robust network of non-governmental organizations, individuals, associations that actively take initiatives aimed at improving the socioeconomic status of communities, and participate in intercultural dialogue.

In order to realize our vision of The One World, we need to reinvent our strategies, encompassing alternative measures for unprecedented situations, and focusing on diversity and inclusion more than ever. In fact, wouldn’t you agree that we need to diversify and expand the elements on which we perceive diversity itself?

Should we graduate from thinking about diversity only in terms of gender, race and ethnicities to diversity on other fronts such as cognitive abilities and educational backgrounds? How can we create The One World where cognitive diversity will hold significance, as issues at hand have a variety of perspectives and unique solutions? How do you think we can build The One World centered around meta-diversity in the New Normal?

Reviving Global Relationships

The world is facing several crises at this time. The state of extreme poverty that was perpetual in some parts has worsened in those and spread to the others due to the pandemic. People have lost their loved ones and livelihoods and a lot of businesses are struggling to stay afloat. This is a global challenge that needs to be addressed through common global efforts. Wars and conflicts especially during an ongoing crisis put marginalized population at a higher risk of experiencing the worst of their sufferings. The need of the hour thus is to aim for a greater international cooperation, peace and harmony and ecological balance.

What measures do you think the leading changemakers should take and how can we the citizens help them to achieve this common objective? Does AI carry the potential to unlock world peace by predicting crises such as wars, conflicts, food shortages peacekeepers which can help agencies intervene before they cause irreparable damage to humanity? How do you think we can optimally and responsibly harness technology to achieve our goal of the One World?

Related Read: Childhood remembered in Manipur

A Robust Global Public Health Framework

There is no denying that we have made some significant achievements in the global healthcare sector in the last few decades. However, a lot still remains to be accomplished. The inadequacies hit harder with the outbreak of the pandemic, when the drastic inequity in the access to medical aid glared at us, leaving us shuddering at our unpreparedness for a global medical crisis. With a rather harsh lesson thus learnt, we now need a robust global strategy packed with intelligent approaches and novel research and development, to resuscitate the failing machinery of our healthcare ecosystem.

What measures do you think should be taken to expand access to medical aid in fatal ailments and addressing and preventing pandemics in future? When we talk about health and wellness, do you agree both mental and physical fitness matter for the overall wellbeing of an individual? Do you think both mental and physical health deserve to be on an equal pedestal when we aim for a paradigm shift towards improved global health?

Related Read: SUPER Physical Fitness and Mental Health

Need for a new global economic model

Our global economy is at a critical inflection stage. Our current socio-economic framework, owing to its inadequacies in resolving pressing global issues piling for years, is teetering on the brink of collapse. To avert that we need to build a new model equipped with a strategy to optimally utilize the few resources we have and then distribute them among governments, private organization, and individuals for their individual gains. This model should be ecologically and socially sustainable while focusing on human well being and planetary integrity and meeting the needs of all.

How can we do this within the means of the planet without overburdening its support mechanisms on which we fundamentally depend? What do you think should be the main elements of such an economic model? Do you have the One Thought that can reshape the global economy to empower the underserved?

What Actions Can You Take In This Last Hour?

We hope you are bubbling with inspiration to take action and pen down your thoughts for building The One World for a better tomorrow, that you have always dreamt of. Here are the list of resources that you need to get started:

Read more about Soch ’21, the article writing competition at Prabandhan at IIT Kanpur in association with From The Experts’ Mouth.
Register for Soch’21 on the event platform and read more about the submission guidelines