Hi Friend,

I sit here overwhelmed—thoughts, emotions, and ideas flowing through me. I want to capture them. But I also recognize the importance of a collective consciousness, so my goal is not for these thoughts to be solely mine, but a work in progress, to evolve, where I invite your thoughts, your beliefs, and we can develop these thoughts not as individuals but a collective of ours, woven together as one.

The Inspiration

Fifteen years ago, I watched a documentary called I Am by Tom Shadyac. Tom, a well-known Hollywood director behind Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor, Bruce Almighty amongst many more. He created I Am after his major bicycle accident in 2007. In it, he asks a powerful question: What is wrong with the world, and what can we do about it? I won’t give too much away because I want you to experience this film form yourself, but it’s a beautiful exploration of how we, as humans, might need to rethink the way we are living.

I’ve watched this film five times over the years, most recently last night—after about seven years. And once again, I was struck by how much the message still resonates, how it reflects how I try to live my life. Even after 15 years of first seeing it, the film continues to shape me.

It also got me thinking about the state of the world today. I think we can all sense that something is off. I won’t name specifics, because I recognize my own biases, just as we all have them—but I do believe we can agree that there is a tension among us. And I wonder why.

The Pattern of History

Looking at history, we see cycles of major conflict occurring roughly every 80 years. Without diving too deep into that theory, just consider this: 80 years after the Revolutionary War came the Civil War. 80 years after that, World War II. And now, 80 years after World War II, here we are feeling this collective tension. 

With this pattern and the tension we feel, it seems we could be heading toward another major conflict. But what if we chose a different path? I Am highlights something about Charles Darwin’s work that is often overlooked. We’ve been taught that evolution is about “survival of the fittest,” yet in The Descent of Man, Darwin uses that phrase only twice. Meanwhile, he speaks of love 95 times. The truth is, human nature is not driven by war—it is wired for love. We have an immense capacity for compassion.

The Power of Story

This made me reflect on the power of stories. Since the beginning of time, we have made sense of the world through storytelling—whether through oral traditions, books, film, or the narratives we tell ourselves. But why is it that when we teach history, we frame it primarily through war? Yes, war has shaped the world, but what if we told a different story? What if, instead of glorifying war, we gave equal weight to the great compassionate movements that shaped humanity—Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Jesus? These leaders showed that love, not violence, is the greatest force for change.

This is important because we have convinced ourselves of another false story—that we are separate. But we are not. As I Am points out, with every breath we take, we inhale molecules once breathed by Jesus, by MLK, by our ancestors, by animals, by trees. We share 99% of our DNA with great apes, 50% our genes with a banana. We are deeply interconnected. We depend on each other—trees breathe in what we exhale, and we breathe in what they give us. Life is a circular system, not a collection of isolated beings.

Smaller systems reflect larger ones. Consider the body—when cells take more than they need, we call it cancer. And when humans take more than they need, we disrupt the balance of the planet. But this does not have to be our story. We have a choice. We can continue on a path of division, war, and imbalance, or we can tell a new story—one where love and compassion guide us.

What We Think Is What We Become

As a coach, I know the power of the stories we tell ourselves. If we fixate on anxiety, we create more anxiety. What if, collectively, our focus on war, division, and fear is making those very things more likely? History repeats itself because we keep telling the same stories. As Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” If we want true change, we must elevate our thinking.

That means resisting the urge to define ourselves by political divide or differences. It means taking inspiration from nonviolent leaders and practicing compassion—not just in theory, but in action. If we want a world where people are seen for who they are, we must let go of the curated images we create of them.

The truth is, we are suffering from a collective mental illness—not the mental illness we usually think of, but one of misplaced priorities. We have become obsessed with money, power, materialism, and being right. We chase things outside of ourselves because, deep down, we do not believe we are enough. And this, I believe, is the root of our tension. We are lost, trying desperately to fill a void.

The Way Forward

But there is a way forward. We start with compassion—for ourselves, for each other. We listen deeply. We see each other as human first. We practice love—not just as a feeling, but as a daily act. And most importantly, we learn to love even those we see as the enemy. Because the enemy is just a story we tell ourselves. In reality, they are our neighbor—just as imperfect, just as human as we are.

As I wrap up this post, I want to remind you that true change happens when we come together. Moving forward requires a collective effort. I deeply value your beliefs, your thoughts, and your perspectives. I want to hear them—because it’s through listening to one another that healing begins. We have deep generational trauma that we need to heal, so please, share your story with me. Comment below, book a time, and tell me your beliefs, your reflections, your hopes. I invite you to do the same for the other. Together, let’s start rewriting the story we tell ourselves.