Hurricane Harvey was devastating to Texas. Roads and homes were flooded. 125,000 homes in Houston are estimated to have been severely damaged. 55,000 people are still displaced and in temporary housing. But what we have seen in the aftermath of Harvey is how it has brought neighbor together with neighbor in an effort to restore and rebuild.
I took this picture of the literal mountain of clothing donations that built up in the George R. Brown convention center in the days after Hurricane Harvey as the disaster motivated unity via the relief effort Cause.
In extreme circumstances, people prioritize. You emphasize what is imminently critical and time-sensitive, and de-emphasize what is less critical and time-sensitive. Political differences, socioeconomic differences, racial differences, religious differences; all that stuff gets thrown out the window as people realize it just isn’t as important in life-threatening situations. That is what has happened in Houston, I have witnessed it firsthand.
What I think we can learn from this is the motivating and unifying power of cause. I mean cause in the ‘something that gives rise to action’ sense. This has profound implications for society, nations, business, and you in your job.
The State of American Society?
I, along with most Americans (I would assume), have felt the growing sense of polarization and division in politics and economics fomented by institutions with conflicting ideals and agendas. Rhetoric has become increasingly adversarial. Groups lash out at other groups. Opposing sides cannot even relate to each other or fathom the others’ paradigms.
Division is the antithesis of unity, which is critical for the continuity of an institution. Division breeds distrust and an ‘us versus them’ mentality. The ‘divide and conquer’ maxim bears the same sentiment. Abraham Lincoln famously said “a house divided against itself cannot stand” in reference to the country’s position on slavery. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of being demon-possessed for casting out a demon, Jesus simply stated that “every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself cannot stand.” Strength is found in unity, weakness in division. An institution pulled in opposite directions is sooner torn apart than pulled together. We as a nation stand at a crossroad. The one path leads to unity and growth, the other to division and decay.
The Power of Unity: Results
Even in physics, we observe that unity creates synergy through resonance. Synchronous vibration can work in concert to such effect as to even tear bridges apart. One person clapping alone may be unheard, but an audience clapping together can be a thunderous applause. One person shouting is a noise, but an army shouting together tore down the walls of Jericho.
The Greek-Persian Battle of Thermopylae, upon which the movie 300 is based, demonstrated the effectiveness of a single-minded Spartan force against a much larger Persian force.
Or think of marriage. Marriage unifies couples in a way almost beyond words. It is the glue that keeps a man and woman supporting each other despite the prospect of disease, poverty, and even death itself. It has been the building block upon which human society has prospered since the very beginning.
The Power of Cause: Impetus
Everyone has heard the story of David and Goliath. The armies of the Philistines were threatening Israel and Goliath propositioned Israel with a one-on-one challenge to settle the entire fate of the battle. What you may have forgotten is that David was not the most promising warrior of the Israelite army. He was a young shepherd boy at the time. The entire Israelite army was afraid of Goliath, but David the little shepherd boy famously stepped up to defy him despite his brother's chagrin, asking his brother “Is there not a cause?”
That sentiment is immensely important. What would compel a young shepherd boy to stand up to a giant, even in the face of almost certain defeat? What could possibly motivate someone to take such a risk? He perceived something greater than himself. There was a cause…
History is wrought with examples of people who have done seemingly impossible or reckless things at great self-sacrifice because they believed there was a cause greater than themselves. Rather than act purely in their own short-term self-interest, they made personal concessions to benefit the cause. A societal cause transcends the individual; a noble cause is one worth sacrificing for.
Find Your Cause
In light of this, I want to encourage you to really think deeply. Why do you do what you do? Find your causes and embrace them whole-heartedly.
In your work, once you’re able to meet your basic needs, don’t just work for the highest bidder. Vote with your feet. Work for something you deeply believe in, something you want to support. That may be a certain job or job field, a certain company, or a type of companies; a cause you agree with. The cause will give you the motivation to keep going when you are weary, to stay up when you are tired, and push through when you are stuck in a way that money alone will fail to motivate you. In doing so, you will find like-minded people that you can synergize with to create otherwise impossible results. The common cause will unify and motivate in a way that other reasons can’t. You will be a part of something that sculpts the world based on what you believe in.
In your spending, don’t just buy based on a quick emotional response or even always the lowest price. Vote with your money. Buy things you believe in, things you want to support. Buy things from the companies you want to support. Boycott ones you don’t. Be an active participant in the economy, not a passive one.
You’ll be surprised how much power you have to change the world. You may even move a mountain.