Human compatibility: A new paradigm for human existence
Behavioural Sciences
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Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about how the human species might come to an end. This discussion is not new, however, and many believe that our biggest threat could come from within ourselves. Dr Bill Guillory, President of Innovations International, is concerned with how we can avoid self-annihilation. To prevent this, he argues, we must transform our mindset to focus less upon fear and survival and more upon caring and compatibility.
What threats do human beings face in the 2020s? From pandemics and war to cyberattacks and climate change, Dr Bill Guillory, President of Innovations International, fears for humanity’s potential to prevent self-annihilation. Continued human existence is not guaranteed and our species could be wiped out through our resistance to personal transformation and desire to dominate and control others.
There are many practical solutions to our problems, but Dr Guillory argues that the ultimate solution lies in the very way that we experience the world. His claim is that humanity – or, at the very least, a majority of humans – must undergo a decided transformation in their consciousness. That means viewing the world through a different framework, referred to in Dr Guillory’s work as a paradigm shift.
For Dr Guillory, our problems arise from a paradigm centred around individual survival that is based on fear. Instead, he argues, we must transform our consciousness towards a paradigm of human compatibility. Dr Guillory explains exactly what this means, setting out the principles social entrepreneurs must adopt to prevent the otherwise inevitable collapse of the human species.
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Human compatibility and the personal values matrix
In order to preserve humanity, Dr Guillory argues that we must arrive at a new planetary paradigm. He favours a model he calls human compatibility. This is a context in which humans value the equality of all people, resolving conflicting differences as the key to evolution, regard caring for others as essential, and embrace change.
“The most important personal transformation is the realisation and adoption of human equality in terms of our fundamental personhood.”
Dr Guillory argues that humanity cannot continue to exist without “understanding, empathy, compassion, and love”. With these values, we could house the homeless, feed the hungry, and take whatever steps necessary to reduce human suffering. We could be a society that no longer yearns for complete control but rather hopes to ensure the health and happiness of all people.
The dominant planetary paradigm for humanity has always been survival. Now, it must be human compatibility. This can be achieved, Dr Guillory believes, by humans laying out what he has called their ‘personal values matrix’: five or more values that act as the source of a person’s passion for life. These values could include freedom, creativity, and integrity. Human compatibility means respecting and protecting each human’s own personal wellbeing.
“Ready for a really challenging and entertaining read? The Aftermath is a cautionary tale that takes us to places we don’t ordinarily go in our day-to-day thinking.” Maggie Peltier, President Sülitas.
Social entrepreneurship: A context for caring
Social entrepreneurship occurs when a business stops acting merely for profit and grounds its actions in caring for people and their personal wellbeing. In doing so, a corporation transforms from a survival paradigm to a social compatibility paradigm. Dr Guillory considers caring to be the difference between humans and human beings.
Dr Guillory defines humans as those living in the survival paradigm. They view reality as being “you or me”; eat or be eaten. Human beings, meanwhile, have transformed their consciousness to view reality as comprising both “you and me”. The key difference is that of caring for others.
From this, Dr Guillory sets out his seven principles of social equality:
First, by nature of existing, all humans are inherently equal in terms of their personhood – no human should be exalted as superior to others.
Second, all humans are born with the inherent right to food, clothing, and shelter.
Third, all humans have the inherent right to be educated.
Fourth, all humans have the right to explore freely, to express themselves creatively, and to live in alignment with their spiritual and personal values.
Fifth, all humans have the inherent right to explore their own consciousness and seek wisdom.
Sixth, all humans have the inherent right to express their religious beliefs in concert with the wellbeing of all humanity.
And seventh, all humans have the inherent responsibility to preserve our continued existence.
If these seven principles are implemented, it would mark the transformation to the new paradigm of human compatibility.
Dr Guillory considers caring to be the difference between humans and human beings.
Sustainability and human consciousness
Human consciousness is focused on continually acquiring more, despite living on a planet with finite resources. This is fundamentally unsustainable. Dr Guillory notes that the Amazon rainforest is taking in a third less carbon than it did a decade ago, putting us on course for further climate crisis. We may not consider our own preservation until a catastrophe occurs.
Dr Guillory is careful to use the word transformation rather than change. The latter is smaller in scale and reversible. The former marks an irreversible shift; a step in evolution, like the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly. Human transformation involves a new mindset: a state of consciousness that values compassion, understanding, and caring for each other.
Humans will not achieve sustainability merely by changing their habits, but will need to transform their consciousness. The science regarding global warming is clear and, as technology progresses, the solutions to the problem of rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere will be found. However, without an internal transformation, we will not make the adaptation necessary to preserve humanity.
“If these seven principles are implemented, it would mark the transformation to the new paradigm of human compatibility.”
Towards human preservation
The risks to human existence are well-documented. Major threats include not just global warming but cyberattacks, mass immigration, increasing inequality, and freshwater shortages. These issues cannot be solved because humanity is either unable or unwilling.
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To master these conflicts, Dr Guillory argues that we must embrace diversity. He defines diversity as being able to “master the resolution of conflict resulting from differences.” To achieve the compatibility paradigm, we must be willing to work collaboratively, reconciling our differences in a mutually beneficial manner, interacting openly, being resilient to adversity, and uniting as one human species.
Without achieving the goals set out by Dr Guillory, he believes that human extinction is an inevitability in the near future. We either achieve self-preservation and sustainability or we cease to exist as a species. It is not enough to know what actions we should take. Instead, we must transform human consciousness so that the majority of humans have the motivation required to make the necessary changes with commitment and intention.
Social entrepreneurs will lead this change, making sure that their products and services are created in accordance with human compatibility. Ultimately, it all comes down to caring for the wellbeing of others. Human beings must learn how to understand the personal values of others, as well as the seven social equality principles, and then make decisions based on empathy for others.
“Caring is at the heart of human existence”. Daniel Engster, Philosopher. WHYFRAME/Shutterstock.com
What are the most significant factors preventing humanity from making the transformation towards compatibility?
The resistance to individual and collective transformation is the major factor preventing the achievement of a compatible global culture. The most important realisation is that transformation in human consciousness begins with each of us. Not some great leader or saviour. We must each take responsibility for examining our most important personal values, defining their meaning, and begin living consistent with them. These are ways of believing and behaving in a way which reflects human equality. Then, extending this way of living by supporting the success of others for their health and wellbeing.
Dr Bill Guillory researches the need for a human paradigm shift from greed and acquisition to caring and compatibility.
Collaborators
Ms Ulla Knoll and Mr Philip Davis
Bio
Dr Guillory received his B.S. from Dillard University, New Orleans, his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley, and was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Sorbonne in Paris. Dr Guillory has lived, studied, and lectured in England, France, Germany, Austria, Japan, Switzerland, Poland, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Greece, and China. He has authored over 100 publications and several books on the application of lasers in chemistry and was Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah. He is founder of the consulting firm Innovations International Inc.
Dr Guillory
Contact
Address
Innovations International, Inc.
Salt Lake City, Utah 84117 USA
