The other morning I saw these words scraped into concrete "F*ck you Tony Abbott".
Tony Abbott is a former Prime Minister of Australia and one who was the face of political decision making that people either loved or really loathed. You can guess what this particular artist thought.
What stuck out for me was the relative pointlessness of targeting one person.
All that time and energy and anger, for what?
After all, Tony Abbott is no longer in power, but the political party he is affiliated to continues to make policies people love or loathe.
In the States, Donald Trump may eventually be impeached but there is a Vice President and a whole lot of people waiting in the wings to continue his work with his philosophy of domination and wealthy white male privilege.
Going after one leader will have very limited success. Another person will simply rise up to fill the space.
Communities make leaders happen, by encouraging them and supporting them financially, emotionally and in every day conversations online and in person.
It is individual people who act in communion with others to vote in political parties, and campaign for change in whatever direction they desire.
What can we do to improve our communities and countries?
It is extremely unlikely that views will change or minds will open when people are shamed and attacked for what they currently think or have been raised to think.
People are generally not all good or all bad.
Some people may be great environmentalists but hate everyone who hasn't woken up to the need to protect and sustain our precious resources.
Some people may be wonderful to their own families but treat homeless people or refugees with pure distain.
What I am sure of is this.
Fear is the root cause of any division and hatred:
Fear that we will not have enough to survive and thrive.
Fear that we will be hurt or what we love will be diminished or destroyed.
Fear that we will lose some of our power or privilege.
We all share these fears.
If we assume that given the chance and the right circumstances the majority of people will act with kindness and compassion, then how to we proceed?
Any chance we get, push back against anything you would not delight at being done to you. Push back with the knowledge of what lies behind the problem - fear - and compassion that we all share these fears.
The enemy is inequity and every one of us is the problem or the solution.
Every day.
All day.
Here is the call - Do what you can, when you can, whenever you can.
It might sound tiring, but it actually energising, hopeful and when done from a place of understanding fear, a peaceful inquiry that has a great chance of making an impact.
It's the spirit of Conscious Ambition. The inspiring way to live your life at work and beyond. If you want to live with more Conscious Ambition - loving your work, making your mark and improving the world - learn more here.
With love and hope,
Lara xx
Hi, I'm Dr Lara Corr, a life coach and specialist in wellbeing at work. I support professionals to discover and live with conscious ambition through private coaching, group workshops and gorgeous retreats.
I'd love to keep in touch - let's connect on my Facebook and Instagram pages.
'Enemy' all around
Inequity.
Treating people as lesser or greater than.
Deciding some people deserve a great, safe, future while others can rot in the worst imaginable circumstances.