While life can often be painted as black or white, the more time you spend on the planet the more you realize that the majority of life, if not all, is lived in the “gray.” The divisive, polarization that is experienced across international governments and communities is a red flag for democracy and freedom as we know it – and is the focus of Michael J. Sandel’s book, “The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?”
Sandel highlights the alarming fact that we live in an era of winners and losers. The issue with this, aside from the obvious, is that the playing field is nowhere near level and the odds are stacked in favor of the fortunate.
As a global Life Sciences leader who cares deeply about inclusivity, diversity, and improving our communities and planet, the inequality and stalled social mobility our societies are experiencing are a painful and frightening injustice to witness.
Despite the challenges we all face from polarized politics, there is still feasible hope for change – but it has to start from within. Sandel discusses how individuals must rethink the attitudes we’ve internalized toward success and failure that have led to various issues of inequity.
It is equally as crucial to be more attentive to the role of luck in human affairs, to recognize our biases, and be more supportive of ventures that benefit the common good.
I highly recommend this book for global leaders and anyone looking to better
