Standing Together: The Essence of Human Experience

by Jason A. Wolf, PhD, CPXP

The scenes of this week have burned in lasting memories for all of us. The very principles at the heart of our work to ensure the best for our fellow human beings were challenged. Acts of violence, inspired by proven falsehoods, cost all of us and leave a stain on all we know is possible.

Democracy is not an ideal tied simply to one nation; it is a principle grounded in centuries of social thought and action. It is an idea grounded at the heart of humanity. Democracy, from its Greek roots as “power of the people,” has not always been an idea that has reflected itself in true equity, but it remains an ideal we aspire to in ensuring all voices matter, and the greater will of the people stands strong.

As we travelled the cusp from one year to the next, we entered 2021 with great hope. Even in the face of the greatest challenges yet presented by the current global pandemic, we as one people have worked to remain strong, we have acknowledged our shortcomings, we have worked to act with intention and build a path forward. And we will not stop.

The lessons of the last year show us we have much to do in being better to and for one another, as issues of disparities, racism and social justice rightly challenged the comfortable norms we have too long accepted. The lessons of this week show us we have much to do in standing strong in ensuring democracy as an idea around the world can flourish and sustain. It is stronger than anyone’s false beliefs that guide their attempt to diminish it. Our opportunity remains that in standing together, we reinforce the very essence of human experience.

That is why a global community such as ours is so important. It is in our commitment to the needs of our neighbors that we find what we need for ourselves. It is in our willingness to help elevate others that we ourselves rise up. More so, it is in our shared values and beliefs of understanding and inclusion, honor and honesty, communication and collaboration that we grow ever stronger.

As we enter the next decade of our history at The Beryl Institute, one of the greatest lessons I carry with me is the strength we gain in our willingness to walk together, to learn together, to grow together. And while not every conversation will, nor should, be easy, they are held with a sense of dignity and respect we know all seek and all deserve.

Our commitment must remain true to those ideas, that discourse will forever shadow destruction, and our shared commitment to democracy – to the individual and collective power we represent together – will serve to light our path forward. The work we do for healthcare is work the world needs. We live the idea of human beings caring for human beings. And we must never stop. The memories of this week must now serve to drive us forward, for there is still much left for us to do.

Jason A. Wolf, PhD, CPXP
President & CEO
The Beryl Institute