Book 132 - A Year of Magical Learning (Top 5 - Five Part Reflection 4/5)

Reflection Title – Mirroring

Book – Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman (4/5)

Book Description: If there is one belief that has united the left and the right, psychologists and philosophers, ancient thinkers and modern ones, it is the tacit assumption that humans are bad. It's a notion that drives newspaper headlines and guides the laws that shape our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Pinker, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed primarily by self-interest. But what if it isn't true? International bestseller Rutger Bregman provides new perspective on the past 200,000 years of human history, setting out to prove that we are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another. In fact this instinct has a firm evolutionary basis going back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. 

Reflection:

Humans are a species with many unique gifts and superpowers. One superpower that might potentially rank above all else is our ability to mirror one another and reflect back the actions, emotions, and values we observe. We are the world’s best copycats. Monkey see, monkey do isn’t just a funny little phrase…it is reality.

It is an unconscious decision and a part of our evolution as a species to ensure our ability to survive and thrive. Evolution knows that we are stronger together than we are on our own. When we mirror those around us, it brings us closer together and forms tighter bonds.

With my recent induction into the exciting world of parenting with my daughter and son being born in the past 2 years, I’m more cognizant of this superpower than ever before. I see it every day with my infant son, who is about 8 months old at this point. I smile all the time, and shocker…he does too. My wife gets so frustrated that he always starts smiling whenever I walk into a room as he doesn’t seem to do that for her. I tell her, “Well…smile more and he will.” She responds that she smiles a lot, but we both know she doesn’t. Baby’s faces can’t tell a lie.

Unfortunately for me, I’ll never get the joy of being able to observe my daughter watch, learn, and mirror my actions after we lost tragically lost her after 39 days. However, Emilia was never a normal child. She was always special, and we all could feel it form the moment she was born. She was so special that she didn’t need to follow the normal parent – child relationship where she was dependent on us to show her how to navigate this world. She did the exact opposite. She flipped this paradigm on its head and showed all the adults around her an example of how to really life a life of purpose and value. In Emilia, I got to sit on the sidelines and watch this child fight like I’ve never seen anyone fight before. She showed me what it is like to live a life of purpose, values, to endure, and to never give up.

EMILIA gave ME the blueprint on how I should live my life. I have made it my purpose to honor her, to do my best to mirror what she taught me, and to share that with as many people as I can in this world. Trying to live up to her example is what drove me to summon the courage to write our book I Can’t Imagine. It is why I’m on this Year of Magical Learning Adventure right now. It is why we started ClubAny to share these lessons with others and to build a tribe of purpose driven humans. It is why I will never stop creating until the day I die. I will never stop trying to honor her life and how she showed me to live.

My Daughter is my hero! I Love you Emilia.

Question: Who is your hero and how do you try to emulate them in your life?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman