Human Design and COVID-19 Pt. 2- Work

The new paradigm in human design is what first attracted me to the system. This is the second part of a blog series that seeks to expand upon how COVID-19 provides a critical moment to invite the new paradigm into our lives now.

The first thing that will change dramatically is work.

What is work? The answer to this question is complicated. My grandparents would have had different answers than my parents, and I have a different answer than my parents.

Millenials have new work expectations, illustrating an important shift from precedent generations. We don’t just want to pay the bills, we want to have an impact. We want to find our purpose and our calling. We want to get excited about what we do and feel fulfilled.

I believe this is a natural evolution. As society progresses and we have more people with their basic needs met, there is more time for self-reflection and exploration. We can ask bigger questions. Why are we here? What do we want our legacy to be? What are our values and how can we align our work with them?

I argue that these are important questions that everybody should be asking themselves. Millennials’ unique perspective has also been shaped by the immediate perils facing our planet. We have to ask ourselves if it is ethical to have children and bring life into this world. The science is clear, if we don’t drastically cut our greenhouse gas emissions globally the planet will become uninhabitable. As one of my favorite authors Peta Kelly explains, millennials are passionate about conscious business because we have to be. We know that we have no other option but to create a new way of doing business—and really everything— that takes into account the needs of the planet.

Due to the invention and growth of the internet, we have already seen the world of work transform. People can make money in ways we would have never thought possible just 5 years ago. The gig economy allows us to have several sources of income and choose our hours, with pitfalls of course such as no insurance but regardless it is a choice. All sorts of new careers are being created all the time. The rise of entrepreneurship continues to grow as millennials crave freedom from the 9-5 cubicle life.

For me the most terrifying—-or potentially wonderful thing, depending on how we decide to evolve—-is the rate at which we are automating jobs. In the War on Normal People by Andrew Yang (a must read!) he goes into detail about what the automation of many different types of work could mean for the world. It isn’t pretty.

Rising levels of unemployment, especially among the male population, have been correlated to higher rates of depression and anxiety (I am happy to share articles on this if requested). We place so much of our worth in our work, especially in the western world. We become what we do and when we lose our jobs, we feel like we lose ourselves.

This to me is where the new paradigm can bring the absolute best case scenario. According to human design, every soul has unique gifts that come here to be expressed. This expression can manifest in many different ways, but must be shared somehow. In a world that embraces the new paradigm throughout its institutions and culture, automation will resolve the need for such non soul-fulfilling labour. Instead, those who previously filled these roles will have a new opportunity to share their soul's unique gifts. The working class won’t bear the heavy consciousness of having to provide or make a living, but simply to express themselves and share.

I may be called idealistic, which I am and proud of it. But I think worse than idealism is thinking that we can continue on the current path we’re on. We need to be thinking and dreaming bigger. As author Buckminster Fuller says in his book A Critical Path, “humanity is in it’s final exam as to whether or not it qualifies for continuance in the universe…”. This may seem extreme but scientists have been saying this for at least a decade.

We can make huge shifts starting now to create a more just world in which the luxury of self-exploration can be one everyone enjoys. In order for this to happen, the first thing we need to implement would be a universal basic income. This was one of Yang’s platforms when running for the democratic nomination and I think it is an incredible idea. If people have their needs met they can use their energy to create in a way that is meaningful to them.

People argue that we will lose our drive and ambition without this pressure from the need to make a living. I disagree. I believe no one is lazy. Not a single soul. We just have been taught such destructive things about work and our self-worth that when people feel that they have “failed” in the workplace, they often resign to a life where they try nothing at all. Or if we grow up in homes that don’t value us and have no example of successful working professionals in our life, it limits our idea of what is possible. Once we feel fulfilled by what we do and feel truly called to it, we want to create and produce. We don’t need to be pressured by a system that places our value in how much and how fast we produce.

The universal basic income paired with a way to encourage citizens to explore their passions and ideally have their human design charts read (I say this as it is the only current system that provides such comprehensive insight as to what each person is here to do and how they are made to do it), would be revolutionary. Historically, we have only evolved with the constant pressure of survival. But there is a better way. A new way! A new paradigm.

I’ll finish with this quote from the Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani (another must read!) “The most extraordinary people in the world do not have careers. What they have is a calling.”

We all have a calling. What we need is a world that gives us the time, encouragement, and support to pursue it.