Meaning & Belonging only happen in communities. Transformations only happen in communities.
Changing your mindset is key, but you need other people who have changed their mindset as well. If you want to go quick, go alone. If you want to go far, go together, you will need like-minded companions for the journey.
That is, too, what diversity is all about,
… not just ethnic diversity, not cultural diversity, not just economic diversity … Everyone! Everyone’s voices.
Ana Menendez, Associate Professor, FIU ∇
Isolation
The opposite of belonging is isolation, loneliness. The Fiat system’s drive to divide and conquer has gone overboard and has come down to individuals. It negatively affects the health of individuals and society.
Loneliness is more than just a bad feeling. When people are socially disconnected, their risk of anxiety and depression increases. So does their risk of heart disease (29%), dementia (50%), and stroke (32%). The increased risk of premature death associated with social disconnection is comparable to smoking daily—and maybe even greater than the risk associated with obesity.
Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, New York Times ∇
Separation of groups into competing silos is fundamental to Fiat culture: the more groups compete with each other, the lesser chance that they will get together to fight the things that really hurt them and hold back society (e.g., Fiat ownership).
ENDNOTES
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Conversation with Ana Menendez, Associate Professor. Podcast. Steven Green School of International & Public Affairs. 2023. <https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7058097258029801472/>
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Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General. Surgeon General: We Have Become a Lonely Nation. It’s Time to Fix That. <https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7058771691614658560?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop> New York Times. 2023.
