You can save the world
What we as a society and as individuals can do to make big changes happen
Hi, I'm Kat!
What I am most passionate about is to inspire you to see that your life is your own and biggest masterpiece.
There are a few things that are certain – one of them being that is all goes down the drain. Climate is changing and societies are struggling. Of course there are certain systemic and political changes that need to happen. Listen on to hear my proposal …
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What we need to change as a society
- Gender equality // We need enforced gender equality. We need women and men to steer this ship called earth and humanity. We need to make it accessible for women to reach higher roles. As long as it’s a boys club we won’t get nowhere. That is my conviction. We need women and men, we need equality to make good decisions.
- Equal pay / pay for the jobs that keep society working as a whole // I’ve been to the musical with my daughter a couple of days ago and although I was dead-tired when getting there, I was fully lit up during the show. The energy, the stories, the creativity, the technical solutions, the fun – these people light me up. Why is it that a dancer earns less than a bank manager who – these days – just puts numbers into a computer and for all that matters shifts money somewhere somehow. Why does a garbage man who really contributes to society and helps the community to work at the most fundamental level not be able to feed his family in a big city? Why do the people that help us raise our kids and therefore the generation of problem solvers that are tasked with saving humanity live off of a fraction of what a marketing manager gets that sells more stuff to people that they don’t need? I do understand that there is the cost of education, I do get that there are differences in how skilled people are. But living off a salary should be possible. As long as this is not done, we will lack motivated teachers, loving educators, nurses who take care of our parents and loved ones. When I was pregnant, the most important person for me was my doula, she helped me with becoming a mum, she helped me with all that I did not know about giving birth and being a mum – because we don’t learn that stuff. And in Germany, at least, it is frigging hard to be a doula and live off of it. It is basically not doable. Why? I will put it really bluntly: Because the people in power have no clue. They are to detached from everyday lives, they don’t know what is important anymore.
- Sustainability // What is sustainability? This words gets thrown around more than I can count. What is sustainability? It basically means that humanity will survive long-term. It means being tough, making decisions and finally do it. There is so much talking and not much doing. We do have governments, we do have decision-makers, but they are usually stopped by people who are completely clueless. Usually they are old white men with lots of money who are influenced by other old white men with lots of money. With no interest or knowledge in what happens around them. I admit, I have a car and I use it because I cannot get me kids to school and back in time for work without it. But if there were clever alternatives or if gas prices were really high, I might second-guess my decision. I would actually like to not have plastic bottles for my water or soft drinks, because they leak all the bad stuff into the liquids, but if you enter a store, it is only plastic. As long as plastic is so accessible, it is no wonder that the big Ocean Patch is getting bigger. Yes, I know there are big companies behind plastic and gas and all that we use in our normal lives. But sometimes change is tough. These companies need to pay a sustainability penalty – like a hefty one. So hefty that it simply does not add up for them any more and they need to seize or make it so expensive that they can’t sell. Why is this not happening?
- New city concepts // Why do we have cities and smaller countrysides that still require a whole lotta cars? Why is public money spend on prestigious projects and buildings that are just bigger and better? Why not rethink the whole concept that cars actually are of no use in the city? In my city they seemingly cross out parking spaces with greenery. But that does not make my car disappear nor does it make public transport any more accessible or on time. Also, why are there no flats for families available in the cities? Why are they put to the outskirts and need to drive to town all the time to further their kids education? Yes, the countryside is great for kids, but they are also growing up and then they are supposed to get engaged and have knowledge – so families will travel to get that. If the outskirts and smaller countryside villages had more infrastructure and were more family-oriented in their offerings, it might be quite another story. It is about thinking big and making it happen.
- Life centricity and purpose-filled lives // To live life can be quite overwhelming. It can feel hard and uncertain because you have no idea about what is right about what will get you someplace. Especially when you are younger. What should be taught in schools these days is how to figure out what you are good at, how to excel at what you are naturally gifted at, how to gain confidence from being you. But, unfortunately, schools have not reformed very much in the last 100 years. Yes, the content has been updated and yes the methodology has improved and yes, it is much more loving. But the core of the school system seems to be the same as when they were created. Our school system was created to get workers for the industries. They were supposed to read and write so they could use machinery and improve processes. And the brighter ones were sent off to go to university and study and become the inventors and thought leaders of whatever day and age we are talking about. So, the most important skill was to bow down, to execute, to shut up, to learn by heart things that are not relevant and regurgitate them at an exam. The grade determining whether you are worthy to be further educated or not. My kids are still rather young, so maybe I am totally mistaken and the school system will surprise me immensely, but I somehow doubt it. Schools should foster confidence and self-esteem, critical thinking and the power to shape an intrinsically motivated and purposeful live. But, the way it is today, the most important characteristic of a successful student is to conform, to be as the system wants it The thing though: This very system is close to collapsing and has brought as exactly where we are right now. The system needs such a big reform that we can hardly recognise it. We won’t get there in time by making baby steps. We need motivated teachers and educators who are capable and willing and really good at this – and they should not be burnt out by a system that wrecks them. Living in harmony with oneself and forming a life of purpose is the essence of a society that thrives.
What you can do as an individual
- Hone your skills and passions and express them // If you do, you will be happier version and will allow others to do the same. Work would become meaningful again and the more people are allowed to be themselves, the better, the happier, the more stable.
- Become confident in who you are, what you want and who you want to be with. If you are fully present to your needs and desires, you will be more able to guide the people around you towards meaningful decisions.
- If you live a life of purpose, I do believe that you will be rewarded. Yes, there is always this myth around that if you follow your passion you will never have to think about work or money again, which is not entirely true. But, you will have a life that is not cookie-cutter clean and standardised but unique, extraordinary and fully yours. Which is the most spectacular and rare thing you could ever have – and definitely priceless. Also, if you follow your passion and hold a job in a company, stand up for equal pay, demand that you get what you deserve – even though our love your job. they give me energy, they do so much for my life – why should they deserve less than
- You will inspire a whole new generation of people to lean into what they find unique and contribute to the greater good. You will inspire them to think outside the box, to find their way and not be pressed into thinking “but this is what one SHOULD do”. This alone might help a lot to solve future problems.
- Support the right companies // You might hate your job, toil away at a desk that you don’t want to be at in the first place and force yourself to be productive and prove yourself. Why are you doing this to yourself? This does not seem like a life live well-lived. You need to bring back the joy of work. Quite honestly, human life-spans are pretty darn short. I do not consider myself old, but to be quite honest, I have had my fair share of bad diagnoses, friends with cancer and deaths of people that are as old or younger than myself. That really puts it into perspective. Where do you want to contribute? What is your bigger goal? What do you want to be your legacy? And that should not be money or a C-level title. What companies do you fully support? What brands to you want to put your skills and talents to work for? What’s the world that you want to leave behind and how can you best put your skills to use to make it happen? For far too long those companies with the biggest salaries were the most attractive ones.
- Support the right policies // Who is more far-sighted? Who is less concerned about their own status and more about what they might be able to achieve when in office? Could you take over a position within a public institution? Be part of the change?
- Get engaged // Become loud, become uncomfortable, challenge the status-quo – fully express yourself
So, yes, there are systemic problems, but change always starts with you. Be a change-maker by being yourself fully!
With all my love!
xx
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