Dive Deep

Intellectual honesty and moral clarity are no longer virtues. Yet, we must all continue to hold on to the principles of the UN Charter and our shared humanity. We derive inner strength from this.

The world we live in today is in acute crisis. Across the globe, hundreds of millions of crisis-affected girls and boys are crying out for compassion, fairness and humanity. On the frontlines of brutal conflicts and protracted crises in Sudan, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Sahel, Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, Haiti and beyond, more than 224 million children and adolescents are systematically being denied their human dignity, their human rights and their foundational right to quality education. Without such education, none of their rights can be realized and the vicious cycle will never be broken.

International humanitarian and human rights law are disregarded. Children, teachers and schools are purposely targeted. Meanwhile, girls and boys are killed, maimed, raped, subjected to forced child marriage, forcibly recruited into armed groups, and other atrocities. In fact, in 2023, grave violations against children increased by a shocking 21%, according to the latest UN Secretary-General’s annual report on children and armed conflict. There is a massive gap between the values enshrined in international law and the sheer brutality of today’s world.

As Michael Sheldrick, Co-Founder of Global Citizen, writes in his recently released book: ‘From Ideas to Impact’, policy entrepreneurs (unifying visionaries and bridge-builders for humanity), were often profoundly unpopular in their times and accused of betraying their tribes … Many of their stories, although frequently overlooked, bear a striking resemblance to contemporary debates.” Most of us will agree.

I just returned from participating in the high-level panel to launch his book at the UN, together with Maher Nasser of the UN Department of Global Communications, Prince Zeid, former UN High-Commissioner of Human Rights, and the author, himself, Mick Sheldrick. The authentically deep discussion was a breath of fresh air and a dose of inspiration in a world of such ugly division, inhumanity and brutality.

We all agreed: Universal values matter. In fact, these are existential to the human species. Collective and positive action needs to happen now. Individuals from all walks of life are not creatures of circumstances, but can make a difference. As pragmatic idealists, we are the storytellers, and it is time to change the storyline to build a narrative that elevates our common humanity rather than the current antagonistic violent discourses that prevail.

As I wrote in my own book, ‘The Case for Humanity’, which was also launched at the UN nine years ago, we stand at a crossroads. This begs the question: do we choose the ‘will to power’ or the ‘will to humanity’, or perhaps a new configuration of both: ‘The Power of Humanity.’

Because,

How many schools have to be bombed, pupils and teachers killed?
How many children have to be orphaned, lose their limbs and their hope?
How much trauma do they have to endure?
Before our hearts crack open?
Before our minds think clearly?
Before we can reclaim our humanity?
Do we lie to ourselves to reconstruct reality? Or do we speak truth to power?
Do we pursue the rule by force? Or do we respect the rule of law?
Do we honour international law? Or do we bend towards global anarchy?
Do we choose supremacy? Or do we choose humanity?

What if we could tap into our unique human capacity for empathy? The truth is, all human suffering should be unbearable for anyone to watch in silence and our minds should push us into action to do everything we can to end it.

It’s time to dive deep.